Leaves of Green and Eyes of Gold
by WaspInterprizes
Summary: Most elves were not so angry. Most elves were not so rash. Most elves did not remarry. But King Thranduil had never been like most elves.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit, Tolkein owns everything. This story is not for profit.**

**Chapter 1**

The first green leaves were falling off the trees in Mirkwood, signaling the end of summer, and the first day of autumn. Most of the leaves would not fall; they were destined for a different fate. They would turn yellow, red and orange; turning the green forest into a sea of gold for a few short months before winter would come.

This was the day that one of Thranduil's subjects told him that some of the guards that patrolled the realm requested an audience with their King.

At the time, he had been standing on the balcony outside his chambers looking out over the forest that morning, as he did every morning, as he had done every morning for the last hundreds of mostly uneventful years.

He was gazing quietly at the railing, watching the leaves gently and occasionally fall off the trees, or rustle loudly when a gust of wind streaked through the forest, when a young messenger came and told him that five guards were waiting for him in the throne room, if they might have the honor of the king's presence.

He nodded, still looking out at the forest, as he heard the messenger turn on his heel to go tell the guards tell that the king would see them in a moment.

A particularly strong gust of wind that blew against him and swayed his pale hair made him want to pull his cloak more tightly around him, but instead he just let the last air of summertime chill him as he enjoyed the sensation.

The view of Mirkwood from his balcony was lovely. High off the ground, at the top of the underground cave network that made up the halls of his realm, it showed some of the oldest and largest trees in the forest. He could hear and see the small streams trickling along the floor of the forest, leading into the larger river that went underneath the palace.

His view was lovely, but he knew that he gazed at the safe and lovely parts of the forest. Safe because they were within his borders. If all of the forest looked as this did now, he had no doubt that the forest would still be known as Greenwood instead of Mirkwood. Beyond, and even just outside his borders, evil had found its way in, making the forest a dangerous place to live, full of shadow and menace. He took one last look before turning around and venturing back inside where his subjects awaited them.

He had no doubt that whatever business they had with him was important. His subjects had learned long ago not to waste his time on business that did not pertain to him or this realm.

He put on his rings, a few on the right hand, two on the left, a great ring with a blue stone that had belonged to his father, next to the intricate golden ring that his wife had put on his hand the day they had wed, that he had not taken off since. Finally, he put on his pointed crown, and walked down to where the audience awaited him.

…..

"We found her like this on the forest floor, my lord, just so. Laying right in the middle of the ground, as if she had just collapsed there."

As the young patroller said this, he stepped forward with the limp body in his arms and gently raised her up as if to give the king a better look, but looking for all the world like a father holding a sick child.

"I see." He thought for a moment. "Did she have no company?" The woods could be dangerous for a group of well-trained elven rangers if they were to run into the wrong kind of trouble. A young, weak girl on her own wouldn't have had much of a chance of going through the forest safely.

"Not that was with her, my lord, except for a fox that was walking around her body. It growled at us when we touched her. We figured it must have been hers."

"What did you do with this… fox?"

"We brought it with us, your majesty. We put it in one of the kennels below."

"Well, did she have anything on her to tell us who she is?" _Or where to return her?, _he thought to himself.

"No, my lord." He held out his hands. "These were all she had in her pockets," and he showed the king a torn piece of ribbon, something that looked melted now but had once been edible, three golden coins, some fishing line, and a handheld device that unclasped was two small mirrors, one side of which was cracked. Hardly items to go hiking in Mirkwood with.

"Take her to one of the healing rooms," the King said leaning back into his throne, "wait until she awakens and then inform me. We will question her then."

The guard holding her limp body carried her away, her long dark braid falling to the floor next to one limp white arm hanging down. The other guards the king told to return to their duties in the woods.

Thranduil did intend to question the girl to find out what she had been doing in Mirkwood, away from in the realms of men and in a dangerous part of Middle-Earth, but he was fairly certain he already knew who she was.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Tolkien owns everything. This story is not for profit.**

**Chapter 2**

**_Three Years Ago_**

_A Western wind was blowing through the open window on my right. It made the papers scattered across my private chambers fly up and dance across my room, but did not disturb the peace. Nothing could disturb the peace this shiny morning; not the sound of the river a mile off, not the woodpeckers' rhythmic work, and certainly not my carefree thoughts. Not until a man rushed through my door, his voice cracking like a wine glass on a stone floor._

_"__My lady!" _

_"__Mmmhmmm?"I murmured, paying more attention to the harp I was casually strumming by the breezy window than to my easily excitable manservant._

_I practiced my harp every morning, but the activity was particularly sweet today, when I alone was the only of our family in our great castle of Pelargir, the oldest and strongest city in Lebennin, a province in Southern Gondor. My father, the governor of Lebennin, was away on business in another part of the province with my mother and my younger brothers. My older brother was away hunting in another part of the province. I had not thought it right for my older brother, Fiske, not to take the two younger with him. But at the age of twenty my brother had still not grown up._

_"__My lady, please stop what you are doing. You must come with me now!" Aelon, the head of the stables, and the highest ranking manservant while the others were traveling with my parents, I could tell had ran to deliver me this news, because when I finally turned to look at him, his face was red and his hair was wild._

_"__What? What on Earth is the matter?" I said rising quickly from my seat, not enjoying the unusual serious note in his voice. _

_"__My lady, you must come with me. You must leave this city now and make for the city of Calembel, where the leader of that land dwells! Your brother will be there waiting for you."_

_As he said this he took my arm and hurriedly led me down a dark hallway that I had not been through before opening up from behind a bookcase, though I had lived in this small, stone castle on the river my entire life. I was so confused but finally had the presence of mind to ask him to stop and explain._

_"__Please, Aelon, tell me why I must leave the city! What has happened?"_

_"__It is your cousin, Baldrick. He is coming here to claim your parent's property. He claims the estate rightfully belongs to him and he means to kill you if he finds you here."_

_"__That is nonsense. He has long been jealous of my father's wealth and power, but he would not do something like this. He is a young, hotheaded young man who has no claim, and he would be sure to fail." _

_"__He can. And he will."_

_The emotions and stress of the conversation weighed heavily on me now that I realized he was quite serious about everything that he had said, and I could hear my voice trembling with emotion and knew my eyes glistened when I yanked my arm free and halted our progress, which had ended into the castle stables._

_"__I will not leave my home. Especially not while my father is away. I will write to him and await his instruction, or better yet his presence. He will know what to do. I will not flee."_

_Aelon looked at the floor during my speech, but now he slowly raised his head, and I knew that he would now tell me something that he had been putting off, but that would finally make all of the pieces of this mysterious dilemma fit together._

_"__Your parents are dead, Laurwen."_

_He looked me in my eyes as he told me this, like any good man would. I wonder if he could see his reflection in my golden eyes, and if that made it easier or harder for him to say what he had to say?_

_" __I have had this news from a messenger who just came to the house. They were killed on their way back home, by your cousin." He cleared his throat and blinked away his tears before continuing. _

_"__They on their way home when Baldrick stopped them and killed them with his foul followers. He and his witnesses say that they met your parents on the road, and your father attacked him, because he was afraid that he was a threat to your brother's inheritance. Your brother has had to flee to Lamedon because your cousin has assured the Steward that your parent's intentions were treasonous. Your cousin has been pronounced the new governor of Lebennin."_

_He cleared his throat and wiped a hand over his face._

_"__You must g-o my lady." His voice was cracking now. He was a loyal servant, like part of the family, and I know he had loved my parents. "If you stay here you will die. Go to your brother who has already fled this land and has sought protection from the governor of our neighboring province. Be with your remaining family, and pray that you will all have the guidance to proceed. But do not stay here. Here there is only death for you. Go West. I have sent a messenger to out. My daughter, Aeiliel, will meet you at a tavern a few miles outside of the city, and she will ride with you to the house of Lamedon's governor. You will be safer traveling with another, and less recognizable."_

_"__And my younger brothers?"_

_"__Taken captive by your cousin. Still alive, but do not hope for them."_

_I said nothing but allowed him to tie my riding cloak around my shoulders and hoist me up onto my mare, Sunflower. _

_"__Speed of the Valar, m'lady."_

_With that he kicked my horse and I bonded out of the stable, blinking in the morning light._

….

"Very good, my king," Thranduil's second cousin, Carfon, added standing a few steps below his throne, giving his ever positive assertion of his majesty's judgment.

This afternoon, Thranduil was doing the most mundane of all his kingly duties: hearing the petitions and concerns of his subjects and giving advice accordingly.

"Now then," his cousin continued, glancing at the list on the parchment in his hand, "there is the matter of the damaged bridge over one of the rivers in the southern area of the realm."

The bridge was broken last week when a very old and very large tree fell down over it. It not often that a tree fell in Mirkwood; the trees were very strong, with even stronger roots, but that night there had been a strong storm, and the tree was ancient. It had fallen right through the center of the bridge into the river, crushing the bridge. It had taken a hundred elves to move the tree out of the river.

"The bridge is of course, extremely important for travel and trade." Carfon added, encouraging his King, who was strangely silent this afternoon.

"Yes," the king agreed, reluctantly pulling himself out of his thoughts, "have it repaired immediately. I will send some soldiers and craftsmen to help those who live in the South repair it. And have it made better this time. Take aesthetics into mind, the last bridge was ugly."

"Indeed. And one more thing, your highness, I hate to bother you with this, but the girl that was found in the woods has been stirring in her sleep. She may wake up soon, if you wish to question her immediately."

The king glanced up, interested, and gave a slight wave of his hand, excusing his cousin.

…

I tried to open my eyes, but it felt like I had been asleep for an eternity, and my eyelids in the meantime had turned into lead, and were too heavy to open.

When I finally opened them sufficiently, and my eyes adjusted to the light, I found myself in a very large bed filled with dozens of pillows. I was also in a breezy white bed gown, and had apparently been cared for, noticing the bandages on my arms. I remembered now having collapsed from exhaustion in the forest, but nothing after that. The room I was lying in was large, bright, elegant, and contained about 30 crowded elves standing around my bed and staring down at me.

I had seen an elf once before when my parents had invited one to dinner who was visiting the city. That elf had been quiet and intelligent, although somewhat reserved. He not been very intimidating, being the only elf in a dining hall full of men and women of Southern Gondor.

Now, however, I was the only human in a room full of graceful creatures with long hair and pointed ears, and I found them more imposing this time.

Feeling very self-conscience, I pulled the blanket up over my body, noticing that I was clothed in a loose silk nightgown and my arms were bare. I looked back at the elves with eyes that I assumed were as large as frying pan. My hair was also unbraided, and my long curls were splayed across the pillows. Elves wore their hair loose, I knew, but the women in my city had always had it up, and it made me feel oddly exposed to have it unbound before so many strangers.

A male elf stepped forward with hair as brown as the bark on a river-sprout tree, and inclined his head to me.

"My name is Padhrion, and I am one of the healers of this realm. You are in Greenwood the Great, the realm of King Thranduil."

_So Far?_

He waited as if for me to speak, but I said nothing.

"Of course, it is known now to many as Mirkwood, since over the years the forest is no longer as pure and wholesome as it once was; evil having now found its way in."

Again, I could think of nothing which to say.

He coughed into his hand nervously.

I realized the amount of danger I was in. I had been fleeing, and trying to outrun those who would do me harm. How much time had I lost here in the elf king's halls? How much closer were those who had been hunting me?

The healer elf, Padhrion, began to kindly ramble once more, attempting to make the room less awkward, but another voice stopped him with a loud, "Enough!"

A different elf stepped forward.

This one much different from the one called Padhrion. The other elves stepped away from him as he came to the edge of the bed. He had long pale hair, looked to be taller than all of the others, and had a very stern look in his pale eyes.

"You were found without leave in this realm, but under the circumstances you were brought in and taken care of. However, most travelers must ask my leave to travel through this kingdom. What business brings you through Greenwood?"

His voice was as cold and hard as his eyes were.

I paused for a long second, but this elf's voice made it clear that an answer was required.

Sitting up as gently as I could so as to not offend my sore body, I noticed minute white flowers falling out of my hair. That confused me, but I supposed that when waking up in a land of elves one should expect to find random flowers in one's hair.

It took a few minutes for my voice to work, considering how ill I was and how long it had been since I had spoken to anyone.

After a small coughing fit I asked croakily, "Has there been a young woman pass through these parts? She would be tall and have light blond hair."

"Who?" said the tall elf said quickly and sharply, none of the kindness in his voice that the brown haired Padhrion spoke with.

"My sister, a girl named Aeiliel." My head was becoming a little clearer now, and so I added, "or a young fox? I had a young one-eyed fox with me, who is weak in one paw?"

"Answer the questions I asked you, and then we will discuss your missing sister and your one-eyed orange rat." The tall of elf said mercilessly.

"I won't answer anything," I answered unblinking, "until you tell me if my sister has been here or not."

The elf's stern expression shifted to one of anger as he answered with gritted teeth, "You will learn of your sister when you answer my questions!"

I cringed and sank back into the sheets.

An elf's anger was a terrifying thing, so odd and out of place in such a fair and wise face, commanding so much power and force. It was overwhelming, and I was too weak too fight.

I knew it could be dangerous for anyone to know who I was and why I had come to Mirkwood uninvited. But I now remained silent in the face of this elf's anger.

Padhrion walked up to the tall elf. After giving a little bow he said quietly, "Perhaps we shall give her a little more time. She is still very weak and most likely is not feeling well enough to speak."

"No! I will not leave this room until the maiden has answered my questions. And I will thank you to remember your place, Padhrion." The blond elf said, turning his wrath on someone else now.

The healer responded quietly. "I beg you to reconsider, your highness. The young lady has been through a great deal of pain."

The tall elf, who I now understood must be the King of the Woodland Realm, said nothing, but turned on his heel after giving me a last vicious look. Most of the elves followed him out, leaving me alone with Padhrion, and my nervous thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: This story is not for profit. Everything belongs to Tolkien. **

**Chapter 3**

_I had ridden for the whole day and night without proper rest, only stopping then and again to walk Sunflower, and then once again returned to the usual run or trot. _

_I had never felt so tired as I did then, riding up to the inn that Aelon had described to me, where he said his daughter would be waiting. _

_Trying to avoid the shock and pain of the worst news I had ever heard in my life, I thought back to Aelon telling me to meet his daughter at this tavern. I had not known he had a daughter. He had never spoken of her, although now and again he had taken long trips to the country of Rohan where he had said he had family._

_I tied my horse up outside the inn, and instead of hanging up my muddy cloak at the door, I decided to pull the hood down further over my head, lest I be recognized by someone who would, for the proper price, betray me to Baldrick. _

_I ordered a warm drink from the red-haired inn keep, and sat at an empty table near the fire. I tried to get as warm as I could without getting too close to the other patrons who had the same idea. I was wet, cold, dirty, and more tired than I had ever been before in my short and comfortable 15 years of life. I had scarcely had two sips of my drink before the world melted into a heavy black dream._

_I nearly jumped out of my seat when I felt myself being shaken awake._

_The person who was shaking me also had a hood over their face, but they pulled it down, and put a hand over my mouth, because I had given a small cry of fear, not knowing at first who it was._

_The girl who had woken me was thin and somewhat tall, but despite her thinness still had childishly round cheeks. She had a pretty face, with big blue eyes and a long thin nose. Her hair was strait and yellow. I instantly took a liking to her, while still being annoyed at having been shaken awake. In truth I felt no more rested then I had before I had fallen asleep. _

_She said her name was Aeiliel, and explained that her father had sent a message to her saying that she was to come here and assist me in my journey to the town of Calembel._

_"__We must leave immediately, Laurwen, for there is no way of knowing how long you have been here and who may have seen you." _

_With that I followed her out of the tavern, and we rode our horses out of the tavern and into the dark night._

…..

_The whims and follies of Mortal Men_, Thranduil thought as he poured himself a glass of wine, _will be the death of us all_.

Thranduil had received a letter a few years ago from Baldrick himself, announcing to people of importance that he was now the lord of Pelargir, and governor of Lebennin. He went on to say that his Aunt and Uncle had committed treason, and with the approval of the Steward of Gondor he was now the owner and heir of the family estate. His cousin Fiske he declared as a rebel, but he promised that he meant his female cousin, Laurwen and her two younger brothers no harm. Most importantly, he mentioned, Laurwen's whereabouts were unknown. He worried for her safety, and mentioned that there would be a reward to anyone who brought her back alive safely. He implored all the rulers of Middle Earth to send him information of her whereabouts if she ventured near, and to hold her in their subsequent realms until he could come collect her and bring her safely home.

The words of the letter rang false to Thranduil, but did not give it much thought at the time because he had neither seen or heard trace of the young woman.

Thankfully, as he always hoped, none of the problems of the outside world or the world of men had ventured into Greenwood.

Until a month ago.

He could not be positive, but he was almost sure that the young woman who had been carried into his realm was Laurwen.

Words of her wit and beauty had been spoken of in many of the kingdoms of Middle Earth, including his own. Her deft avoidance of his questions assured him of her intelligence, and he could agree that she fit the beauty that she was described with. She was astonishingly fair, more so than even most elf maids. In his opinion, he had only seen one elleth that her beauty could be compared to. Her cousin's letter had said she would be a young maid, with dark curly hair and golden eyes.

Thranduil now found himself in an unexpected and unwelcome predicament.

To keep her in Greenwood would be to defy another lord and possibly bring outside trouble into this realm; that is, if word got out that Laurwen was here, which it assuredly would.

_But to return her to her cousin_. Thranduil felt that that would be very wrong. He was sure Baldrick meant the girl harm, and had possibly murdered her family.

It would definitely upset some of his subjects if he were to return her. Odd as it was, many of the elves had taken quite a shine to the young mortal princess. During the month Padhrion the healer had watched over her he had grown attached her, which the King could see from the way he had tried to protect her. It took a brave elf to come between the King and his decisions, and the loyal Padhrion had obviously been very concerned. Not to mention the elves that had been to see her while she was asleep had all been charmed by her youthful beauty, or so his cousin told him. That would explain why there had been so many elves there to watch her wake. Whispers of "Princess" and "Porcelain Doll" were emphasized by the white flowers someone had sprinkled into her thick dark hair. And she had woken, her eyes fluttering gently at first before revealing two enchanting golden orbs. Two enchanting, confused golden orbs. There was something about the girl that made you want to shield her from danger. But Thranduil knew looks could often be deceiving, and the girl had proved more than capable of taking care of herself by cunningly avoiding all of his questions.

Fortunately he had time to consider what to do, and possibly consult with his counselors on the matter.

And of course, first things first, he had to be sure that the young woman was indeed Laurwen.

…

I woke up in the same room as I had earlier, more miserable than I had ever been before in my entire life.

The effects the first rest and chance to heal I had had in a year were eclipsed by the chance to dwell on the miseries and heartaches that I had been too busy to think about for a year.

My parent's death, the separation from my remaining family, being lost and hungry, becoming too exhausted to go on, being separated from Aeiliel…

Worst of all I wasn't sure if the reason I was chased into these woods would find me here soon. I was still in mortal danger. Most elves were known for their wisdom and goodness, but now I was wary of trusting anyone. Also, had I not heard somewhere that the Elven King of Greenwood was not like other elves?

First the first time since I had awoken, I observed that the room I was in now, a healing room of some kind I guessed, was empty save for myself.

A better chance to sneak around, and try to perhaps find a way out, might not come again.

I pulled the clean white sheets aside, and threw my bare feet onto the elaborate wooden floor.

And fell face first onto the ground.

Up till now I had not realized how ill I had been.

I tried to get back up, but my legs were like two piles of mud.

The healing elf found me there, still trying to get up off of the floor, when he came in with my breakfast.

"My lady, you are still too ill to try to leave the bed unassisted. The King is insistent that you continue to have bed rest until you are fully recovered," he explained as he picked up my slim body off of the floor and carried me back to the bed, "but when you are feeling well again, he would like to invite you to sit at his table at a feast; both to celebrate your recovery and to get to know you better."

_Get to know me better indeed_, I thought as I pulled the covers back over myself, _get to interrogate me better, more like_.

As it seemed that I would be stuck here for a while, I silently prayed that the elf guards of Mirkwood kept out anyone who might mean to do me harm, and I supposed it was for the best that I stayed a few more days, since it didn't seem like I was well enough to go anywhere even if I was free.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit, everything belongs to Tolkien, and this story is not for profit.**

**Chapter 4**

_Aeiliel's father had advised us to travel West, so travel West we did. _

_At least, we did after much debate about which way West was. Neither of us had traveled much, and then never on our own, but both of us had minds and mouths that liked to assume that they were right. _

_During our stop for supper the next day, we made a good search of everything in our saddlebags. _

_She packed her own, (in haste, she told me, because she had had word from her father that she must travel urgently) and already knew its meager contents: a canteen made of deerskin that held some wine she had stolen from the cellars of the people she was staying with, two loaves of travelers' bread, a small hatchet, a spool of twine, a needle and thread, and a few silver coins._

_The contents of my own saddlebags were far more promising, her father having outfitted me with one of the saddlebags that wealthier lords of Gondor keep in their stables in case they have to flee: Two knives (one with a jagged edge meant for carving, the other a sharp dagger for defense), some line and hook for fishing (not an uncommon supply in these river lands), about twice as much travelers' bread as Aeiliel had, some flint for starting a fire, some dried fruit, a small spyglass, more needle and thread, a small iron pan for cooking food over a fire, ten golden coins, and, to our great excitement, an instrument that used the stars to locate your direction. _

_Immediately seeing the practicality of this, we set about to using it. _

_Unfortunately, our merriment was short lived, because no sooner had we taken out the object than we began bickering over how to read it correctly. _

_It began with me telling her that I had spent more time than she studying the heavens and the stars, so I should read it, and she telling me she had more experience actually looking at them, and therefore she should read it. _

_It ended with her throwing it into the Great River, and me shouting and walking away, swearing I would not travel a moment longer with such a colossal dunce. _

_In the end we now understood that we would have no guide but the rivers, what descriptions of the land that we could recall from memory, and whatever directions we could get from any travelers that we found on our journey._

_…__.._

A week after my attempt to sneak a look around the halls of the Elven King of Mirkwood, I was deemed fit enough to walk again.

I did not have another opportunity like I had had earlier to try to sneak out alone, which I would attest to the elven healer who probably recounted my earlier attempt to leave my bed to the king.

First I was, with an escort, allowed to walk around the halls near the healing rooms. Later, with two escorts, I was allowed to roam about the gardens.

Around this time my fox, Carotene, was returned to me. He looked as improved as I felt, no doubt a result of the healing power of the realm of the elves. His right eye was still gone, but he didn't limp quite as much as before, I thought, and his fur was no longer a dirty orange color but now bright and healthy looking.

Wild animal though he was, he leaped into my arms when he was brought to me and licked my face, while the elves who brought him looked on in amazement. From then on Carotene was even closer to me than he had been before, sticking close by my side often.

I did not see any more of the king, until a month later when one of the healers told me that now that I appeared to be well enough, the King had invited me to dine at his table tonight at the feast, being the guest that I was.

I was given new chambers that day, (with two guards posted outside) there now being no more reason for me to remain in the healing room, and was sitting on the edge of a feather bed, stroking Carotene, when two elleths came in.

They brought with them hot water for a bath, and a fancy dress that a northern lwoman might wear, not an elven dress. As they came in my fox scattered out through the crack in the open door.

They gave me pleasantly scented soaps and washed my hair while I scrubbed my body in the tub. I was a little embarrassed to take a bath in front of someone else, even if they were young elf maidens who were very kind, but I thought I would be even more embarrassed if I showed it, or if I asked them to leave and they said that they must stay. I thought that if Aeiliel had been here she would have told them to wait outside or they could lay down some cloth on her seat at the dinner table so she didn't get dirt on the cushion.

The dress they pulled me into was a pretty blue thing, but I did not feel at all pretty when I looked at myself wearing it in the mirror. I felt horridly out of place, wishing my own clothes had not been ruined, although they were perhaps not fancy or warm enough anyway. _At least I was not in an elven gown_.

They tried to comb my dark curly hair out to wear down like the other elven women did, but I refused to let them do that. Instead, I braided it back into the long rope that I always wore it in, although tonight I pinned the rope into a bun for formality.

I thought they might say something about my hair, but instead they smiled and showed me the way to the King's feasting hall.

It had been late summer when I had arrived in the King's realm, so I was not surprised to learn that the feast was a celebration for the coming of autumn and the passing of summer.

The dining hall took my breath away. Like all of the rooms in the Elven realm of Mirkwood, it was magnificently built, and beautifully decorated.

The dining hall was elevated higher than most of the other caves of the king's halls, and the King's table was set highest of all. Other round tables were scattered around the hall, the highest set tables appeared to host the more important elves, lords and advisors to the king. Below them were soldiers, I supposed from their outfits, and below them were several tables that appeared to just hold the average citizens of the realm. All of the Elves in Mirkwood appeared to be there, although that was probably an over-estimation.

The room was decorated with the autumn theme; golden, red, and brown leaves decorated the floor and tables of the hall. Acorns and assorted nuts were in crystal bowls on the tables, along with a bounty of food that was harvested in the fall. Elves walked around carrying glasses of golden wine, which was also on most of the tables.

I could hardly take my eyes off of my surroundings until I was shown to the King's table.

His table, the highest of all, was finer than any I had seen in my life; finer than my father's own table during the feast we had at midsummer's eve every year.

I could see that King Thranduil and the other ellons and elleths were dressed to match the magnificence of their surroundings. The king's golden robe shone as bright as the wine in his hand. I was suddenly glad that I had been outfitted properly and that my own clothes had been ruined. I would have hated to stand out any more than I already did. There, eight radiant elves seated at the high table, and saw that a ninth seat was empty on the King's left side. _Oh, no._

I'm sure the elves didn't mean to make me uncomfortable by watching me step for step walk up to my seat as I was led their by the two elleths who had helped me to dress, but as for the king, I could not speak. The more uncomfortable I was, the easier it would be to make me talk, he no doubt thought. Well, I would try my best not to let his cold eyes phase me.

An attendant pulled out a chair for me at the table; I tried to gingerly slide into the chair without stepping on my long gown.

"Good evening, my lady." The King said, inclining his head slightly towards me in a greeting.

The other elves bowed and softly gave their own greetings to me in their charming voices. I noticed, though, looking around, that the King's eyes were not the only cold ones at the table. On his right side, a young elf that looked much like him, having even the same hair, gazed at me with a look that was at best distrust and at worst pure malice. His look was cold enough to make me turn back to the King.

"Your majesty." I returned the greeting as politely and aloofly as the one he had given me.

"I trust your day was well." He said as we waited for servers to come out.

"It was very well, thank you, although a little busier than I am used to."

He gave me a sharp look, while I avoided his gaze by taking a sip of my drink, (which tasted like honey) because he knew full well that he rarely allowed me to leave my rooms, leaving me with not much to do during the day.

"How unfortunate. I'll see to it that your day gets even less busy, unless of course you decide that you would like to tell us a little about yourself."

So we were done with the small talk and the pretense. The King was getting strait to business.

"Your majesty. I would like to apologize for my reluctance to speak. You see, I have been reluctant for a reason."

"And what reason would that be?" he asked.

"Well, as I am sure you are aware, I was injured before I entered your marvelous realm, and I will admit that the injury was to the head. As a result, I was having trouble remembering some details about my own life. Until lately, when I have been able to remember things in more detail, I was not able to answer some of your questions, and others I refrained from answering, for fear of saying the wrong thing as a result of my accident."

"Go on." He said.

_Time to lie_. I breathed in deeply before speaking.

"My name is Furien. I am a resident of Laketown, although until about a year ago I lived in Gondor with my parents. After their deaths I came here to live with my aunt and uncle. One day, I was off riding near the edge of the wood, and unaccustomed as I am to this area, I was lost, and went into the woods looking for assistance. The last thing that I can remember is hitting my head on a low branch."

"Is that so?" The way he looked at me, like a spider begging for a fly to come just a little closer to the web, gave me chills. During the course of my story our food had been brought. The elves' of Mirkwood had been waiting for their king to say a few words in thanks for the food and season, but he just gave a wave to them while he was listening to me, indicating they begin.

"Yes." I figured that parts of it were at least close to the truth. But now that I had given him answers to his questions, albeit untrue ones, it was time he answered mine. "Now that I have told you all that I know, I would ask you again any word or information you have of my sister, Aeiliel. She had been out riding with me before the accident, you see. I am worried that she was hurt in the forest."

"A girl matching those descriptions was found dead in our realm three months before you arrived." He said, his strikingly beautiful face hideous to me because of the cold indifference with which he said those words and then reached for his wine, looking away.

_It couldn't be true. _

But it could. She must have made her way north and died as I almost had. I wouldn't have believed someone as strong as she could have been defeated, but it was true what they said, that nothing lasts forever.

I looked down into my lap. My first thought as I felt warm salt water running down my cheeks was to have some pride, act like the lord's daughter that I was, and suppress my tears. Also, I didn't want to give King Thranduil the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

But then I thought that the only thing that would be shameful would be not mourning the best friend that I had ever known.

I cried silently for a while until I could no longer suppress my sobs and my whole body began to shake.

Some elves began to turn their heads and look concerned, including the King, who appeared more concerned about how this would make him look.

"Stop crying will you!" he said taking a piece of cloth and drying my eyes quickly. Of course, this only made me cry harder.

"Listen," he said, holding the cloth to my face with one hand and squeezing one of my shoulders with the other, "stop crying this instant. If your 'sister' is dead, I don't know about it, we haven't found any mortal girls in my realm, aside from the one making a scene right now."

"Whaa-aat?" I said, looking up his face, sniffing.

"We haven't seen her."

"Whhy would you say that?" I grabbed the cloth out of his hand and pushed him away, wiping my eyes and nose myself. _How could he have been so cruel?_ _Why would he lie about the death of someone so close to me?_

"To discourage you from telling more lies to me. "Furien", indeed. Also, I wanted to see if you would have an explanation or notice that I said we found your sister months before she even went missing."

I suddenly felt stupid, realizing that he had indeed caught me in a lie. But my humiliation was overshadowed by my absolute hatred of the King.

"You-" I said. My hand involuntarily curled into a fist.

He grabbed my wrist before I could move it.

"I wouldn't finish that sentence, unless it is some sort of explanation."

I gave my hand a little tug but he wouldn't let go. "I didn't notice that you said she had been found three months before because I was so distressed at hearing of her death."

"Enough!" he said, squeezing my wrist even harder.

Was I seeing things, or did I just imagine that the image of his face flickered for a moment, revealing a deformity much different form his own perfect face?

A thought passed through my head of how his behavior was so unlike what I had heard of elves.

As if on cue, he calmed down and loosened his grip a little. He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, he seemed calm, almost sad.

"Fine. I will send word to your aunt and uncle, when you give me their names, and to all of Laketown for that matter, that a girl named 'Furien' is here in my realm. You can waste here until your family comes to get you. Or until _anyone_ comes to claim you."

I wandered for a moment that he might know who I was, that the men that my cousin Baldrick had sent after me might at any moment come and take me away.

I felt like a fish on a hook, a sight I had seen so often in my youth in my river town, struggling to get free but just getting more entangled.

_Did he know the truth? Could I trust him? What should I say?_

I couldn't think here, with the noise and the crowd and the King so close to me and so angry. I needed to get away and have some time to think. I needed to get away from the king _now_.

Thinking quickly, I pushed my glass of golden wine to my lips and purposefully jerked it into my lap. It spilt all over my dress until it rolled off, crashing onto the floor into a million pieces.

All noise and music stopped. Every eye turned towards me. Not many things were accidentally broken in the graceful land of elves, and immediately some attendants rushed up to help me and clean up the mess, while my elven maids each grabbed one of my arms, gushing over my dress and helping me back to my room to change.

I looked back to see the king's furious face watching me leave.

He was angry, but it would be all right. I had bought some time to think. Or act.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: This story is not for profit, Tolkien owns everything.**

**Chapter 5**

_A strange thing happened as we traveled through lands that were both mysterious and familiar; I could actually feel myself growing up. Each new day of experience and hardship taught me more than a year of safety and ease. And although it was unpleasant to me physically and troubling to my mind during that time, later I thought that I was indeed the better for it. _

_I could not say for certain if the wonders of our travels affected Aeiliel in the same way that I was. When we had set off together I had wandered in my long hours in the saddle if she was as consumed with fear and wonder of the unknown as I was, or even more so, belonging to a more simple and uneducated people, but the more I came to know her the more I perceived that it was not so. To me, Aeiliel seemed like one of the few who are born wise, and there was nothing that this world could show her that she was incapable of understanding. _

_Her company meant the world to me. I remembered thinking once, as she stepped on a fish in a shallow stream with her boot to catch for our supper, that this one girl could probably solve all of the problems of the world. _

_We understood each other. Sometimes we would ride for hours in the saddle not exchanging a word with each other, and at other times we would speak for the entire day about things that were closest to our hearts._

_She became my best friend. About a few days after we set out, I realized that she was my closest friend and she always would be, and that I was hers. _

_If I ever made it back to my family, and escaped the men who were hunting me, I knew that I would want to be her companion always. When I was married one day, hopefully to a man that I could love, I would want her to be there in our home, for her advice and company. I would want us to raise our children together, exchanging motherly concerns over our needlework. If my husband or family died, or my children left home, I hoped to have her there always. _

_As it was, I couldn't imagine having to travel without her company. _

_Especially not when it became clear that we were being followed. _

_…__._

_It was a bright morning when we first saw the riders. _

_We were off the main road, instead traveling along the river and then southern coast to reach our destination of Calembel. _

_Without making any river crossings, which we would not be capable of doing by ourselves, we would have to stop at the port city of Lebennin, Linhir. _

_Our plan was to go through the city, hopefully unnoticed, and come out on the other side back to the southern coast, which we would follow until we came to the Ringlo river, and then the river Ciril where it split, which we would follow up to Calembel._

_I pointed out that this would seem to be the long way, taking us miles around the bottom of Gondor until finally reaching Calembel. But, as she pointed out, this way we could be sure where we were, as long as we followed the rivers. Also, by following the rivers and coasts, we would have a constant source of water and food, not to mention that any one who was looking for us was probably taking the main road, and would not expect us to be going this way._

_I did not rightly say to her that I agreed with her plan, so that in case it turned out to be a bad one I could later say that I had never agreed to it(although at the time it did seem to be a good plan so I went along with it)._

_This morning was a glorious one, a bright spring morning that is one of the best times of the year. The sound of the birds were sweeter than any music, and the soft wind gently rustling my dark braid and her short blond hair was nicer than any touch. _

_Small fishing villages decorated the countryside along the river, and the occasional fisherman in his wooden boat would give us a wave every now and then. We never hesitated to wave back, knowing that the country people were kind and honest hearted folk who meant us no harm. It was the ambition of the city people, of my people, which was the reason that we were in so much danger._

_We were laughing, having just seen a fish jump out of the water to catch a bug, when we decided that we would have a rest at a one of the hills over looking a small village._

_Aeiliel was sipping some of the wine from the leather canteen, while I was lying on the grass, looking up at the clouds go by in the bright blue sky. I was feeling so peaceful, enjoying the breeze, when Aeiliel said, "What's that?"_

_"__What's what?" I said, still staring at the clouds, not wanting to get up just yet. _

_"__That!" she said, not willing to explain to me. _

_I sat up, annoyed at the intrusion. Looking to where she was pointing, I saw, to my great astonishment, a small moving dark blur far off in the distance, that could only horseman traveling very swiftly._

_"__Hold on just a moment," I said as she, chewing on an apple she had swiped off a tree earlier that morning, kept her eye on the distant riders._

_I fumbled in my bag for the spyglass, and finding it, came and sat back beside her and looked through it at the riders._

_Unfortunately the spyglass could not magnify very closely, it being meant more for looking at surrounding landscapes for travel, so as to see which way to proceed, and not being meant for a spying out the details of would-be assailants. _

_I could make out that there were around three to four of them, and they were traveling coming from the East, in the same direction that we had just traveled._

_Aeiliel, snatching the glass out of my hand, surprised me once again with her worldly knowledge. _

_"__These are horseman from Rohan." She said peering with one eye closed to get a closer look._

_"__And how would you know such a thing?"_

_"__My father is a stableman, Laurwen, and I know a thing or two about horses. Those are horses from Rohan; good ones meant for covering great distances quickly." I found it humorous that she had stopped calling me "lady" after our first argument, as if feeling that a lady was someone more intelligent than I._

_"__What does it mean?" I whispered coming close beside her._

_She was still gazing closely at the riders, a concerned look on her face._

_"__Nothing good for us, I think." _

_With that we gathered up our things and saddled up Sunflower and Storm. We rode quickly away, faster than we had yet traveled, a sense of urgency and threat in our minds. _

_…_

For the first time in a hundred years, Thranduil felt something akin to guilt.

The image of her red, tear filled eyes kept flashing in his mind, haunting him like some kind of curse.

He had forgotten how women could be. No, he knew that was wrong of him. He had forgotten how people who had just lost someone could be. The last loss he had had personally had been centuries ago, that feeling of pain lost but not forgotten.

Since then, not much tragedy had come to his people. There was a growing evil in the forest, he could refuse to acknowledge it by enclosing his people in this part of the forest and ignoring the world without, but he could not deny it to himself. Regardless of the growing shadow over his forest, the immortal elves of the Woodland Realm were safe within this realm, and not very often was someone killed or lost.

Hence his guilt over his insensitiveness towards her pain, not to mention pain that had been caused by a lie he had told.

Surely there must have been a better way to try to get some answers from her.

If she had wandered into Lorien or Rivendell, Elrond or Galadriel would have had the truth from her in the kindest and wisest way possible, as elves were wont to do.

Ah, but what was it that Thranduil's late wife had said once to him? It had been during one of their most heated arguments….

Oh, yes. She had told him that he wasn't like other elves, only she hadn't meant in the kind way.

Maybe it was true.

…..

I woke up early the next morning, having had a restless night as a result of the disastrous feast the evening before.

As I stumbled out of bed, I saw that there were now an assortment of clothes and shoes in my wardrobe.

I chose some high boots for walking, and some trousers and a shirt that could stand to get a little dirty, as I had hoped today to do a little exploring of my new, and hopefully temporary, home.

After getting permission from the guards, I went out of the halls into the crisp autumn air.

It was a strange feeling for me, having the first opportunity in more than a year to be out-of-doors and not be running from something. The beauty of the Elven realm, the sharp morning air and sound of running water reminded me how pleasing it was to take a stroll outside and just enjoy my surroundings. Whatever my feelings might be about their king, the elves' kingdom was a beautiful place. The trees in Mirkwood had grown to impossible heights, the likes of which I had never seen in my home in the South. And the colors here were so sharp. The greens and browns were stunning. And although the forest was very dark, I thought the darkness was almost worth it when, every now and then, there were breaks in the trees where bright streams of light shot through the forest like a waterfall of sunlight. The contrast between the darkness and these occasional patches of light made for a spectacular display.

I remembered the eerie quiet of the forest when I had entered Mirkwood originally, but the unnerving feeling that I had was less so here within the borders of the elves' land.

Company was sparse outside of the halls, but occasionally I saw and elllon or elleth going about their business.

A mile or so from the King's halls I spied some elves practicing archery in a nearby clearing. A little distance from that there were elves practicing their swordsmanship. In fact, I began to notice all sorts of training going on around me. I had appeared to have stumbled into the training grounds for the King's army.

I felt out of place here, thinking that I did not belong among a training ground for men and women who were learning to fight and train for battle, much less among a training ground for elves, who were known to be among the most skilled with a blade or a bow.

Feeling such I turned the other way, to continue my morning stroll in a place where I would not be bothering the elves that were practicing, when a voice called my name and I stopped in my path.

The elf who had called my name was a tall ellon carrying a bow and arrow. He came up to me and gave a little nod before introducing himself.

"I hope I am not disturbing your walk, my lady, but I noticed you observing some of the training, and I hoped to have a chance to speak with you now since I did not get one at dinner last night."

I recognized him then as one of the elves who had sat at the same table as the King and I at the feast yesterday evening. Most of the elves that had sat at the table and greeted me were kind, _although not all of them were_, I thought, remembering the tall light haired elf. But this elf had kind eyes.

"You are not disturbing my walk at all," I told the tall auburn haired elf, "indeed, I am afraid I am the one who is disturbing your practice."

"Not at all, my lady, we encourage any and all who wish to watch or participate to do so."

His mention of participating made my cheeks turn red. I had thought that I would be intruding if I stood and observed them, much less actually trying to participate. Although to be quite honest when I saw them practicing their archery and their skills with their swords, so talented, elegant and graceful, I had wanted nothing more than to join them. When I had left my father's home more than two years ago I had been an inexperienced girl who knew almost nothing about how to survive on her own. I had learned so much in my travels and from Aeiliel, but I still knew almost nothing about how to use a weapon, and although I did not think I would enjoy weaponry I could not help but think how useful it would be to know how to do such a thing, or how much easier my life would have been in the last two years if I had known how to use the dagger I had found in my saddle bag.

"Please, call me Laurwen, and I am afraid I know next to nothing about how to use a weapon, and I am afraid I would disturb your practice with my ignorance."

"You may call me Hatholben. And if you wish, I would be more than happy to show you some of what I know, if you wish to learn."

Needless to say, I was ecstatic to have a teacher. He first asked me what I would like to do first, and I at once said archery. I envied and admired the way the elves stretched their tall bowstrings back and fired their arrows to such great distances with such elegance and grace.

The elf called Hatholben brought me to the edge of the clearing where the archers were practicing. If I had been back home in the archery fields where the men practiced, I would have probably been met with hostile stares before I was told to leave.

But here I was met with many smiles and greetings by elves going back to fetch more arrows and retrieving the ones they had shot.

"They are all very friendly to a maiden as ignorant at their sport as I." I told him as he walked me to a target range.

"They are all charmed by you, Laurwen. They rarely see young mortal girls, and they are delighted to have one so pretty and willing to learn as you staying as a guest."

His words embarrassed me, but also brought me great peace. Pelargir had hosted many more dwarf visitors than elves, and many of them had spoken as if the elves thought lower of all mortal beings.

For an hour or so Hatholben just spent time showing me the different types of bows, telling me about them, firing some for me for example, and then showing me how to hold them.

While he stood behind me and pulled my arm back further to show me how to correctly shoot the bow, he told me more about himself.

He said that he was the acting captain of king's guard while the real captain was away.

"Away where?" said I, straining my muscles to hold the string back while keeping the arrow between my fingers.

"She is in Lorien this year and the last."

"She?" I asked him surprised. I was surprised that the King had made a woman the captain of his guards; although it appeared that among elves the men and women were on a more equal footing than they were in Gondor. I admired that about the elves immensely, and if I was to be honest with myself, I admired the king for giving an elf maiden the responsibility and honor of being the captain.

"Yes, her name is Tauriel. She is a young elf and she was invited by the King's son Legolas to accompany him to Lorien. Thick as thieves the two of them are."

The news that the king had a son came as a surprise to me, and even more to my shock, as an unpleasant surprise.

"I did not know the king had a child. I did not even know he was wedded." I said, trying not to sound upset.

"Well, prince Legolas is scarcely a child any longer, but a full grown ellon. And _children_ he has. Legolas is away but the king has a younger son as well. His name is Coruven, you may have seen him at dinner last night. He was tall, and looked much like his father."

The memory of the tall blond elf who was the king's son sent a shiver down my spine.

"Yes, I remember."

We were silent for a while as Hatholben continued to show me how to use a bow and arrow.

After another hour he declared me ready to shoot. My target was drawn on a tree about twenty feet away.

I pulled the heavy string back, focused my eyes and arrow on the target, and let go.

And hit an elf in the leg about 15 yards to the left who was walking to retrieve his arrows.

As the elf went down, clutching their leg and doubled over in pain, I turned back to Hatholben.

"I think we're done here." I said.

…

Similar to the time when I was in my seventh year and I fell over the bridge and into the Great River in my formal gown, or the time that I announced at the high table to my mother during a feast that wine came from a grape cow like white milk came from a regular cow (something my brother had so kindly told young, susceptible me), this was the kind of embarrassment that would be sure to make me cringe whenever I remembered it for years to come.

The elf that I had hit, a youthful Silvan male, was fine. Luckily for him, I was not very strong and the wound was not very deep nor the arrow very sharp. Also, the elves seemed to heal quicker than we mortals did, and although he had been confined to one of the healing rooms for a week, it was not very serious.

That didn't make me feel any less awful about it, however. In fact, I had followed them as a group of elves carried him into his room, and then stayed for almost the entire day getting in everyone's way and trying to apologize and do anything that I could to help him. They had let me fetch some bandages and bring him some food, but eventually they had banned me from the healing rooms because they said, "my incessant apologizing was distracting the healers from their work."

After that I had confined myself to my room, feeling too miserable to do any more exploring for the day. I had also not touched any of the food they had brought to my room, feeling too unworthy of the scrumptious delights that they had sent from the kitchens.

It was now early into the night as I sat on my four-poster bed with my arms crossed over my shoulders and my bare feet hanging off the side of the tall bed. Elven nightgowns were one of their clothes I would permit myself to wear, although the thinness of the material made me feel somewhat exposed.

The sound of my door opening made me stop feeling sorry for myself for a moment as I turned and saw the King entering the room.

I almost forgot my anger towards him as I stared at him, awed by his regal presence and the impressive figure that he cut.

After a moment though, I remembered how he had treated me the night before at the feast so after I greeted him politely and nodded my head with the manners that belonged to the daughter of the governor of the largest city in the largest province of southern Gondor, I turned my head away from him.

I heard the sound of my door closing once again, although I could not see if the guards had just done so or if the King had signaled them to.

"Laurwen," he said firmly, thus forcing me to turn my head back to him, "I would speak with you for a moment."

I turned my head away from him once again.

"About what?" I said curtly.

There was a silence for a moment, and as I wondered why he was not answering me, my heart stopped in my chest and dropped into my stomach as I realized my mistake.

I turned my head back slowly to him, staring in wide-eyed horror at him. How could I have been so stupid? This was even worse than the mistake I had made last night.

He stared back at me with his cold blue eyes looking down from his great height.

As if reading my thoughts, he said, "Don't feel too distraught, anyone would forget themselves and answer to their own name. It's only natural."

His words were surprisingly kind, but they did not make me feel any better, since I now realized the great danger I was in.

"How did you know?"

"A few years ago, I received a letter from your cousin Baldrick,"

I couldn't help but wince at the name.

"saying that his young cousin Laurwen was missing and to send word if a girl fitting your description came through."

I closed my eyes.

My hatred for my cousin absolutely consumed me at that moment, and my anger towards the king was forgotten. How like Baldrick to do that. To hire men to hunt me down like an animal, to send word to all the rulers of Middle-Earth to take me into custody and return me to his evil claws the moment I stepped foot in another realm.

I felt weary, and so tired. But I was tired of running. I did not know if I could go any further, much less escape from the realm of King Thranduil if he chose to return me to Baldrick.

A single tear traveled down my face to my cheek, the first of many more to come I was sure, as I opened my eyes to look to the King, who had a strange expression on his face. It could almost be mistaken for compassion, although it seemed a little alien on him.

"What will you do?" said I, willing my voice and my will to be strong.

"Well," he said taking a small step closer, and shocking me by putting a hand on my shoulder, "far be it for me to send any helpless maiden back to a man who so clearly means her some kind of harm, or for me to ever do what someone commands me, as he did in his letter."

I felt as if the weight of two tons of fish had just been lifted off of my shoulders.

Seized with relief, I reached up with my opposite arm to reach up to where the king's hand was on my shoulder.

Covering his large hand with my smaller one, I gave it a quick squeeze and left it there for a moment. I whispered, "thank you" to him quietly, to not let him hear the emotion in my voice, and turned my head down, to hide the tears running down my face, that were now tears of relief.

"Yes." He said stiffly, yet somehow still tenderly, after removing his hand.

"I actually came to your room for another purpose, although I am pleased that this is out in the open now."

I wiped my face with the back of my silken sleeve before looking at him. "What is it?"

"I came to apologize for last night."

My shock must have shown on my face, because he quickly turned his own face to the side and said in a haughty tone, "Not for what I did, mind you, because you should have told me who you were immediately."

_That was more like it._

He wasn't done though. "However, I am ashamed that my words distressed you so. That was not my intention."

"Thank you." I told the King for the second time that night.

If it was possible for the tall, stern king who was wearing a tall crown, a long golden robe, and a brooch shaped like a spider at his throat, to look uncomfortable, he did so at this moment.

"Well," he said, "I will leave you to get some rest. Perhaps you will now not be so afraid to be a guest at my table tomorrow night."

"Thank you, I would be honored."

As he turned and walked out of the room, I let out a deep sigh. This night had turned out better than I had expected.

I fell against my bed with my arms over my head, feeling utterly relieved. I was thinking about maybe having some of the food they had left for me after all, when the door opened again and the King stuck his head through.

"Also, you are banned from the archery fields."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit, everything belongs to Tolkien, and this story is not for profit.**

**Chapter 6**

_After we had seen the dark men from Rohan, we traveled more quickly. Whenever we stopped for food and drink, they were there in the distance. _

_We began to travel even more swiftly. And yet, when we did, so did they, until eventually we were not traveling but running. _

_We ate while we rode, particularly when we had to slow our horses to a walk for their rest. Our breaks to sleep were shorter and shorter, until we were getting only a couple of hours of sleep._

_I realized when I had to leave my home and become a fugitive that there were so many things that I took for granted when I was the governor of Lebinnin's daughter and I hadn't a care in the world._

_But now, I realized there were even more important things than living in a large home and wearing nice clothes. Time to sleep, rest, and to live without constant fear of being caught like a mouse were things that no one should be without. _

_We had been running for three weeks, and following first the river, than the coast, and then the river again, when we finally came to the town of Linhir. _

_Aeiliel thought that it would be too dangerous to go through the town, but I thought that it would give us a chance to get some more supplies, and maybe learn a little more about the people who were chasing us. _

_We pulled our cloaks far over our heads and looked down as we led our horses under the gates of the city. Although Linhir was one of the largest cities of Lebennin, I had only been to the city a few times. When my father had business in this city, he more than often went alone. But by now the city would be under the control of my cousin Baldrick, although he was more than likely still in Pelargir. _

_Aeiliel decided that she should do most of the talking since there was a better chance of me being recognized._

_The first thing that she did when we went though the town was she stopped and purchased some wine to color our hair red. I suggested that that would only make people notice us more, when people saw two young girls traveling with bad dyes meant for disguise, so we drank it instead. _

_After we drank the wine and ate the fish we purchased from a blind fisherman, we went to a different store to buy some more supplies. We had not used any of the gold castars that were in my saddle since we had set off, so we actually had quite a bit of money. We purchased a lot of food that would keep for a while, more wine, a ribbon to tie up my hair, because it was always blowing in my face when I rode, (Aeiliel's hair was too short for a ribbon), another knife, a small mirror because I was vain, and some ink, quills, and parchment. _

_"__What did you get the writing stuff for?" Aeiliel asked me as we were walking down the street. _

_"__I have an idea." I answered as we walked down into an inn. The innkeeper didn't seem to recognize us, but he did recognize that we had money, so we were able to procure a room for the night. _

_We had a room on the bottom floor, and I unloaded some of our stuff onto the bed before sitting on the floor of our room and taking out the writing things._

_Laurwen shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably for a few moments before I noticed. _

_"__What is it?" I asked her as I stirred some of the ink._

_Wordlessly, she handed me a rolled up piece of parchment. I took it from her and slowly unrolled it, afraid of what I might find. _

_It was a poster offering a reward for my return. It had a well-drawn sketch of me on it, and gave information about me, and said that I might be traveling with a young blond woman. _

_I looked up at her; she was looking down at me. We said nothing for a moment. She took the poster out of my hand and put it into the fire, then came and sat down on the floor beside me._

_"__Are you writing to your brother?"_

_I had forgotten that she could not read. _

_"__No, I am afraid that if I did it would be intercepted. This is just a little trick to give us a little more information, to be sent to the guards of the city."_

_At midnight, four men of Rohan arrived at the city gate of Linhir. They were stopped and taken into custody at the gate after receiving an anonymous letter saying that they were horse thieves. They were kept for a day and a night until the situation was cleared enough that they were deemed innocent. _

_We watched them go from an upper-story window in a building near the city prisons. Afterwards, Aeiliel went with one of my gold coins to the jailer, and learned all that she could about them._

_"__They are indeed from Rohan, like I told you they were," she said smugly when we were both safe back in the room of our inn._

_"__Yes, yes you are much smarter than I am. What else?" I asked her impatiently pacing up and down the length of our room while she sat on the bed. _

_"__They told the magister that they were here on business from your cousin Baldrick. They were hired to bring you, alive, back to him. They are bounty hunters."_

_At this point that came as little surprise to me. _

_"__They are good ones." I said worriedly. "They ride and follow us with great skill. We will have to be quick and careful if we are to make it to Calembel safely." _

_She looked up at me worriedly. _

_"__Also, they know that we are headed that way. They said as much to the magister. You aren't going to like this, Laurwen, but I think that we may need to change our course."_

_I stopped my pacing abruptly and looked back at her, crossing my arms. _

_"__What do you mean? We can't change our course! My brother is in Calembel. My remaining family is protected by the governor of the province of Lamedon. We cannot change our course!" _

_At this point I was shouting and she looked at me angrily, putting a finger to her lips._

_When she spoke she was whispering and as angry as I was. _

_"__I understand all that, but I don't think that we can make it to Calembel by ourselves. I think there will be even more spies of your cousin surrounding the area of the city looking for you. It will be too dangerous. We should go to Rohan. I have family there that could keep us safe until your brother is strong enough to overthrow your cousin."_

_"__Rohan is where these devils are from!"_

_"__These are but evil men of Rohan, hired by evil men of Gondor. Most of the people of Rohan are good, honest people. They will shelter us." _

_"__I will not change my course. I mean to join my family. Your father sent you to help me get home, not to go on some tour of the world!"_

_She bowed her head quietly. "I think we should change our direction."_

_"__We will go to Calembel, or we will die trying." With that I slammed the door and went down to saddle our horses. _

_…__.._

_A month later we were standing with our horses on a hill over looking the city of Calembel, and below, we spotted a group of about ten horseman from Rohan in front of us, blocking the city. _

_It was a windy morning, and it was about to storm. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aeiliel turn to me, the wind blowing the hair into her face._

_I looked at the similar groups of horsemen spread across the valley. The horsemen that were looking for us._

_Without looking at her, I took the reigns and turned my horse around, and started heading north. _

_"__We will go to Rohan."_

_…_

Being banned from the training grounds, I decided to do something else today, something that I had wanted to do since I had woken up in this realm and realized that I once again had leisure time.

My first manner of business to continue was to retrieve my belongings. There had been some things in my pockets when I came to the forest, and I had just now realized that they were missing, because I needed some of them for my excursion today.

I asked around a little, and found out from Padhrion that they been confiscated when I had been found, and put in one of the locked storage chests in the cellars of the realm. He told me sheepishly that they were not to be touched but by the order of the king.

Understanding that it was not his fault, and not wanting to make it any more awkward for him then possible, I went about trying to find the King on my own.

In my brief time in King Thranduil's realm, I had learned a little of the surrounding outdoors and some of the halls that I was allowed to be escorted through, but most of these dark caverns that comprised most of his halls were still a mystery to me, and I had no idea how to set about finding the King. I asked the guards outside my door where I could find him, but they gruffly informed me that the King would be busy. I made a mental note to perhaps try and lighten them up a bit later.

I wandered all around the realm, which was much bigger than I had imagined it to be.

This land of elves gave off an overall calming and harmonious effect on my spirit and body, which I had been heard was often the case in lands where elves dwelt.

But when I had been walking through the King's dark halls for over an hour, and found myself in an empty series of chambers with doors that led to even more empty rooms, I began to recall an unpleasant memory from my childhood.

I had been six years old and there was a festival in Pelargir. It was a festival we had every spring, to give thanks for the rising water levels of the rivers and lakes. There were boat races, competitions to catch the biggest fish; there were river themed-costumes and decorations, booths that sold fried fish and pies made from the river-weed berry. My mother had given me some coins when I told her I wished to have my face painted like a catfish, and she had agreed, giving me a small coin and telling me to find my brother at the docks where the races were being watched nearby after I was done, while she joined my father for some important speech he was making, before walking away in her swan themed costume.

I had a good conversation with the face painter, who thought that it was swell of me to want to look like a catfish, a strong and tasty fish, he said, much smarter than the more popular goldfish that most of the children wanted to look like.

When he was done, I tried to find my brother, but one of his friends that I found told me he had left. I wandered around looking for him, and wandered far, until I realized that I was completely lost.

The thing about being lost is that you can either stay put, and maybe be found or not, or you can keep going, and possibly or find your way back, or just get more lost. In such a hopeless situation, crying seemed my best option, as I was too miserable to do anything else; I was too shy and young to ask for help, but too worried about getting more lost. My misery was compounded when I realized that by crying I had ruined my face paint.

It was late in the afternoon when the kind face painter found me crying in the corner outside of a tent. I'm surprised that he could understand what a six year old was trying to say at all, but he brought me back to my parents.

My mother was almost in tears as she scooped me up into her arms and told me how worried she had been. She thanked the face painter wholeheartedly, and my father tried to give him some money, which he refused. She allowed me to go back to his booth so he could repaint my face, and I saw that he had two young sons my age, which explained his understanding of my babble.

But to return to the point, I was very, very lost in the King's halls. That old helpless instinct to huddle on the ground and cry returned, although I forced myself not to, remembering that I was a woman grown and the governor of Lebinnin's sister. Now I would not have been too shy to ask for help, but there was no one around.

I continued to wander around until I walked down the dim lantern-lit halls and came to a door slightly ajar. When I opened it, I saw that this room was furnished. Furnished grandly, at that. I took a few hesitant steps in and saw that this was an elf's chambers, although it looked more like a laboratory. There were lots of strange objects, some of them wicked looking.

But what drew my eye was the portrait in the middle of the room. It was a grown elleth. She was beautiful, with silver-gold hair. She had aristocratic features, a long nose, full lips, and a knowing gaze that peered out of the wall in boredom.

I continued to stare at it, intrigued, when I got an odd feeling. A cold shiver rattled my bones and I got goose bumps down my arms. I turned sharply and saw that I was being watched.

The King's younger son, Coruven, was standing stiffly against the wall, watching me sharply.

"I beg your pardon, my prince, I was lost…" I stammered realizing that these must be his rooms.

He stepped closer. No words came from his mouth, but his eyes spoke for him, and they said that he was more suspicious and distrustful of me than any elf I had yet met, including the King himself.

"She is very beautiful." I said in a small voice, realizing with an unexplainable pang that the elleth on the wall must be the Prince's mother.

"She was, yes. Although the true extent of her wisdom and beauty is beyond the comprehension of a mortal." He replied.

I was too intrigued to acknowledge the slight.

"Did she leave… sail to the West, I mean?"

"No. She wanted to, but my father would not allow it. I believe he told her that if she loved him she would stay here by his side."

"What happened to her?"

"She went to fight at Gundabad, knowing almost certainly that she might die. But he let her go."

"Why would she do that?' I whispered.

"She had been visiting her friend, the lady Celebrian, wife of Elrond, in Rivendell. When they left that land to visit Celebrian's parents, Galadriel and Celeborn in Lothlorien, they were attacked and imprisoned by orcs. When they were rescued, having undergone more hardship and terror than almost any elf can handle, they both desired to leave for the West. Elrond granted his wife this, but my father would not. He is unnaturally strong-souled for an elf, and he could not understand why she would want to leave. He told her if she loved him she would not leave. She stayed begrudgingly, and was miserable, until she left to go fight."

I bowed my head at his sad tale. I felt sorry for the elf queen, but I could not help thinking, human that I was and accustomed to grief, that she should not have wished to leave her husband and sons. If there was any happiness left to her, surely it would be here with her family?

As if he could read my mind, this grim elf said to me, "It is beyond something that a mortal could understand."

I had a feeling that there was a reason he had told all this to me, a reason that would explain why his gaze whenever he looked at me was so sharp it could cut a diamond.

Whatever it meant was beyond my current knowledge, however, so I simply told him that I was lost. He bid me follow him, and we climbed up so many winding staircases that I had I had to carry Carotene up halfway because he became too tired to go on.

Coruven brought me to a closed wooden door on one of the upper levels, I turned to thank him but he had left soundlessly.

I opened the door to find the King and several other elves engaged in conversation. It appeared to be some sort of council meeting. I demanded the contents of my pockets returned to me, and was pleasantly surprised when he looked at an elf sitting at the table, Carfon, he called him, and told him to hand me the key to the chest they were in.

After journeying back _down _the realm to retrieve my things, I took my things and went out into the woods.

I took a knife I had swiped out of Coruven's room to help me shave down a long oak stick I found. When it was pleasantly smooth, I took the fishing line out of my pocket and tied it to a small hole cut out at the top and threaded a worm through the other end, and went fishing.

I found a nice spot to the south after a good ways walk. It was under a pretty stone bridge that looked brand new and stretched over the river running through the wood.

I sat on the mossy ground beside the bridge and laid my head against the stone while I watched the line disappear into the water, feeling more at home than I had been in a while.

I just sat like that for hour until I jumped up startled, hearing a voice behind me.

It was an elf maid, a young one I could tell, although she looked to be around my age.

"I'm sorry I did not mean to startle you m'lady! I forgot that it was hard for you to hear us."

"No, you're quite all right. But you needn't call me m'lady."

"My father said you were. He said the king told him you were a princess among the mortals."

"Well," I said, flattered the king had said such a thing, "I am not exactly the princess. My father was a governor of part of the realm of Gondor."

"So you are a lady."

_Not anymore_ I thought. But I did not want to speak of this any longer. "Who is your father?"

"He is called Carfon, and he is second cousin to the King. My name is Esteldes."

"Well, hello. Would you like to come sit with me?"

"Yes." She came and sat next to me, and after a few minutes turned and asked, "What exactly are you doing?"

"Fishing." She was looking at me. "Surely you know what fishing is?"

"Yes of course! But we usually trade with the lake people for fish, we don't usually do so ourselves. The swift currents of our rivers and streams make fishing hard to do so, and I have never seen anyone try."

"Well I'm starting to believe that, I've been sitting here for hours and caught nothing. It might be better to try spear fishing sometime."

"That sounds like fun!" She said enthused.

"Well if you bring some next time we will give it a try. I don't think I will be allowed into the weapon vaults."

"I will!"

We agreed on a time, and discussed more trivial things for the rest of the afternoon.

…..

This evening when I was escorted to the King's table, I recognized several elves on the way there. I stopped and spoke with a few before a servant pulled out my chair for me, which was once again next to the King.

He looked at me curiously as I turned to him.

"I see you have been making the rounds." He nodded to the tables of elves scattered around the room, looking in particular at Esteldes, whom I had spoken with last.

Things were different now after our talk the night before. It was crazy, but the King was actually being kind and courteous to me, now that he need no longer try to find out who I was. It led one to the frightening conclusion that perhaps he was only cruel when it was necessary.

"I have indeed, now that I have been allowed to look around a little. I have met some wonderful people, these past few days."

When he spoke he looked out over the feasting hall at his subjects. "They like you very much. If you were ever wary of me, you needn't have been, for there are some here who would die for you even now." I saw his gaze had fallen on Padhrion the healer.

I blushed. "Your highness, I believe he thinks of me only as a foster daughter, in a protective sense, a result of his having cared for me for so long a month. And for the rest of your subjects, I might think that perhaps they speak to me so readily because you have told them of my noble blood."

He raised an eyebrow. "It is true I have told a few of your true identity, and that word travels fast in my realm, but their love for you came before then. They were all enchanted by the kind young mortal who was so different."

I bowed my head as a servant placed a plate full of meat and fine fruit in front of me. "The elves of your realm are kind, and easy to become friends with."

I looked up to find him gazing at me with a strange look on his face, a cross between a smile and surprise.

"What is it?" I asked blinking.

"Nothing." He paused. "That color, it suits you."

The warm glow that came over me and made my spirits rise so high more than made up for the embarrassing shade of red that covered my cheeks.

My dress, my maidservants had told me, was from Laketown. An elf who had traveled there recently had went to the trouble to have some gowns made for a mortal girl of my size. This one was gold, and my maids had told me it complemented the dark of my black hair and matched my golden eyes to the tee.

I started to stammer something back to the king, but my good feelings vanished as I was interrupted by Coruven, who was sitting on his father's other side.

He gazed at me icily. Something about the expression on his face made me believe that he had been listening the entire time, although I could not discern at the moment why this would upset him so.

"Let us have a story." He interrupted, and called for one of the elven minstrels.

I was disappointed to see the King turn from me to his son. "An excellent idea. Let us hear the story of Beren and Luthien, and of their noble quest to steal a Silmaril from Morgoth." The king surprised me and turned back to me, and spoke loud enough for all to hear, "would that be pleasing to you, my lady?"

"Oh, well, sure." He gazed at me, not convinced, so I went one. "It is just that I have heard it before, and it is not one of my favorites. It is very much an elven tale, and once one has heard it one need not hear it again."

"Why do you say "an elven tale" like it is a thing to be sorry about?"

"No, no, no, my king, it isn't a thing to be sorry about. It's just that, well you see, elven tales are a type of genre of their own, sometimes, and this story is one of those."

"Please explain what type of genre our tales are."

"Oh you know. Melodramatic. Moody. Flowery. Extravagant. Making things that are not that serious seem to be so."

"You are speaking of one of the great heroic and most tragic tales in the history of this world! Their heroism to steal one of the jewels from the Dark Lord's crown is one of the most impressive feats ever accomplished."

"I know, I know. I've heard the story. But how was it so heroic that their only priority was to steal his jewelry rather than try to defeat him, or whatever. I have always felt that elves, being so sensitive to evil, make heavy tales that are really light."

By now he was speaking through his white teeth. "And what tale would you have?"

"Oh, definitely a ballad of Turin, the son of Hurin, and his adventures. Now _there's _a real tragedy. Real heroism and sorrow that people really have to deal with. A good strong tale of a strong mortal hero."

"Insufferable girl." He said glaring angrily.

I smiled at him and raised my glass. "That would be Luthien."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings, this story is not for profit. **

**Chapter 7**

_I found myself, not for the first time, marveling at the common folk. How they could be so smart, so strong, and yet, so infuriatingly superstitious.?_

_"__I will not go through Ered Nimrais." Aeiliel told me for the forth time, huddled around our small campfire that we built to permit ourselves an hour of rest before we rode again. _

_"__Yes, I heard you four times ago." I muttered._

_She glared at me over her arms crossed over her knees. "You would do well to take this more seriously. The paths of the White Mountains are well known to be haunted by the Dead."_

_I rolled my eyes. "That's just a story."_

_"__A true one!"_

_"__You are being so ridiculous. That is simply a tale told by our ancestors to stop people from coming into the South."_

_"__You think you are so smart when you pretend to be so skeptical, but a cousin of mine heard it from a friend of one of his cousins that visited near the gateway to The Paths of the Dead and swore that the area was inhabited by those traitorous monsters."_

_"__Running into some dead men is not my concern. I am more afraid of running into some living ones." Seeing her face, I felt compelled to add, "Anyways, Harrowdale is a ways west of here, so it will be unlikely, even if there were such men, that we would come across them."_

_Synchronously we gazed up at the foreboding peaks ahead of us. It was said that the mountains were nearly impossible to pass through, but for us, it was pass or die, for we had been chased to this spot by the hired hounds of my cousin who no doubt hoped this would stop us. At least Aeiliel and I could agree that we would rather take our chances in the cold, towering mountains, and die alone, and give the men an unpleasant time following us, than to surrender. _

_"__Does it strike you odd that most of the famous tales of maidens are of their beauty and support of their menfolk? Never really fireside tales of their own adventures. To say, I cannot recall too many."_

_"__Nor I." I poked the fire a few times. "I suppose that it could be that most women do not go on many adventures, being too busy doing all of the work. Or it could be that the menfolk do not favor tales of the courage of our sex that outshine their own."_

_"__Or perhaps we die on our adventures, and there is no one to tell what we have done."_

_There was an uncomfortable pause for a moment, as we both gazed into the fire, until I broke the silence._

_"__I think we should be going now."_

_…_

_What can I say of our journey through the mountains? It would not be new news to say that we encountered misery and hardship through the passes, but I will say that all of the negative aspects of our trip were tripled during our trek through the mountains, and all the positive parts lessened. _

_Food was increasingly scarce during those few weeks. There was not much to eat at all, and our rations were miserable. Once during the journey through the forbidding hills we came across a white rabbit that Aeiliel easily caught, but I couldn't bring myself to kill it for our dinner. I said to Aeiliel that skinning it and cleaning it would be more trouble than it was worth, and she nodded, understanding what I really meant._

_It was also worse because we were very ill dressed to the climate. We slept huddled in caves by a fire at night and only traveled during the full heat of the day, which was still quite cold. _

_Also, the few pleasantries of the old trip, speaking with Aeiliel as we rode our horses, was all but impossible now. The weather and the hunger put us in a foul mood; not to mention weak and unwilling to speak, so we mostly walked and climbed in silence. We missed our horses as well. They had been left behind before we came into the mountains; knowing that trying to take them through the passes would be all but impossible and wasteful of time that we did not have to waste._

_And it was worse because our pursuers persisted in following us through the passes of the mountains, as we observed one evening from a height, watching them below walk their horses on the treacherous footpaths. If there was one blessing, it was that they would be far behind us now, the time wasted taking their horses with them would buy us some time on our feet when we came out of the mountains afterwards._

_…_

Coruven knocked softly on the door to his father's chambers. He heard a "come in" from the other side that was slightly muffled by the heavy wooden door.

He pushed the door open and saw that his father was writing at his desk. It was still early and he was wearing a long robe he often wore around his rooms at night and in the early hours of the day.

"What is it?" the King said, not looking up from his papers.

"A letter to you, from Legolas at Lorien." He held it up high to get his father's attention.

"Oh, good." His father's voice was calm, but he could hear the excitement in it. He even got up from his desk to come take it from his younger son.

How like his father to get excited when it was the older son who had something to say.

In Coruven's opinion, his father hid his preference for Legolas very badly. He could understand why, Legolas was as fine an elf as there was, and much like his father. People had always told Coruven that he himself was more like his mother, although he could not remember her that well. All he could recall was a sad, beautiful elleth who had smiled at him and sang to him when he was a child. She was an idol to him. A beacon of light and radiance that he loved and whose place in his heart no one could ever replace.

Especially not some young, foolish mortal girl.

He did not think his father had serious feelings for the girl, but his clear enjoyment of her company was insulting enough as it was. It angered him to see his father laugh and smile at all of the stupid and disrespectful things she said to him, as if she were the most charming thing in the whole world and not an unworthy mortal with a price on her head. Thranduil had smiled more at the things she said to him at dinner this week than at the things that Coruven said to him in a decade. It made no sense. She was as different from his mother as a person could be. How could the King like her so much?

He had hoped that this morning he could subtly turn his father away from the girl.

"Is there something you need?" The King muttered to him, still reading Legolas' letter.

"No.. well..er…yes, actually."

His father sat back down at his large wooden desk and laid the letter down on it.

His father looked at him expectantly, so he went on, "You see, I am concerned for the safety of our people. That girl has been in our realm for some time now, and I am worried that word will spread and her cousin will come for her."

Thranduil dismissed the possibility with a wave of his ringed hand.

"Nonsense. No one in this kingdom would betray her. They love her, and anyway they would not betray _me, _for I have told them to be careful that no one comes to learn of her presence here."

"I understand that father, but her cousin could have spies, perhaps people in the Laketown. These things have a way of coming forth. And if he learns that we have been sheltering her here, it could be very unsafe for her."

His father paused at that, and actually seemed uncharacteristically worried for a moment. Coruven could almost feel his blood boiling.

"I suggest we send her away somewhere safe. Perhaps to Rivendell, or-"

"No!" his father stood up and shouted.

Coruven and his father stared at each other for a moment that felt like an eternity.

Thranduil seemed to regain his composure, and realized he was standing. He quickly sat back down and crossed his legs nonchalantly.

"There is the chance that know one knows yet. And a trip to another realm could be even more dangerous than keeping her here. She will stay."

Not trusting his voice, Coruven gave his father a bow, and left the chambers.

…..

As a maidservant tied the strings on my dress, this one an earthy, dark brown color with a pink shift underneath, she asked me if something was the matter.

She pulled tight on the back of my gown, which was one of my favorites. It was comfortable enough to wear around during the day, yet it looked so fetching that it was acceptable enough to wear to dinner. I did not think by myself that it looked _that_ nice, but the King had mentioned that it looked flattering on me. Twice. So I wore it often.

The handmaiden asked me once again if something was wrong; I had forgotten to respond the first time, being lost in my thoughts.

"No, Galessel." I responded. I was so used to keeping my thoughts and feelings to myself. But after a minute, I looked up, meeting her eyes in my mirror.

"Actually, I have been feeling strange as of late."

Her look of surprise at my response encouraged me to go on.

"I have been feeling an odd sort of guilt. That, somehow, it is not right for me to be so carefree and joyous here, when so many dark things have happened and my life, and may happen again."

She finished tying the last knot in my dress, and walked me over to the cushioned vanity where she started to braid my hair into my usual long rope.

"Well, my lady,-"

"Please, Galessel, I have told you half a dozen times to call me Laurwen."

She smiled. "Yes, Laurwen. I do not know every detail of what miseries have befallen you, but it seems to me that you should never feel guilty for being happy or having a fine time. Indeed, if there were a reason to be happy and guiltless, it would be now, whenever we find ourselves in-between miseries."

Her simple wisdom was unarguable and faultless, but it did not dispel all of my worries.

"The thing is, I have a feeling of dread over me lately. Like my happy days are the sands in an hourglass, and the grains are almost all spilt over."

She put her hands gently on my shoulders as our eyes met in the glass.

"Laurwen, you have nothing to worry about any more. There is power in the goodness of our realm that will protect you." She smiled knowingly. "And of course the King would never let any harm come to you."

"Oh." I tried to sound indifferent, and failing miserably, "why do you say of course?"

Her smile grew broader. "He fancies you."

"What?!" I could see my face turn the color of a tomato in the mirror out of the corner of my eye. "He does not!"

She just turned away, still smiling, and began to gather up some of her things.

I persisted. "But, he always argues with me. And scolds me."

She laughed. "He argues with everyone. He scolds everyone. But he _likes_ to scold and argue with you. And you don't cower before him when he's angry. You give it right back to him. I think he secretly enjoys that."

Her words gave me a thrill that I refused to acknowledge. It was ridiculous, after all. He was a widowed elven king, and I a young runaway mortal girl. I told this to myself, not to give myself assurance, but to stop me from hoping for something that could never be. _You are young. People said this would happen when you got older_. _And who wouldn't be dazzled by a tall, beautiful King who gets angry so attractively?_ I thought to myself.

I decided to change the subject, as Galessel and I began to walk to the dining hall. "You know you need not serve me any longer. I am not a princess in this realm, and can dress and pick up after myself."

"I know. But I enjoy the time we have speaking. I am hired to serve, and I would like to continue serving you."

"Thank you." I was glad she said that. I would be upset as well, if our meetings were to stop.

…..

I tried not to notice the King's eyes watch me as I climbed the steps and walked up to my normal seat by his side.

He stood up when I came near and waved away the attendant, opting to pull my chair out for me himself. Catching Coruven's cold glare as the King pushed me toward the table was the only thing that could have soured the moment, and it did.

"How was your day, your majesty?" I often did not see him until this time in the evening.

"It was quite ordinary." He said, dismissing his Kingly activities with a wave. "Tell me what you did with your time."

"Oh, not much, really." I turned to his cousin a few seats down. "I spent some time with your daughter, Carfon, speaking with her and showing her a little how we fish in the South of Gondor."

Smilingly warmheartedly, Carfon finished chewing his meat before telling me, "I am glad that you've befriended the lass. She's a quiet one and often shy around other people."

I returned his smile. "Well your daughter and I are alike in that way."

Beside me, the King snorted.

I drew my eyebrows together, ready for battle. "Yes? Do you have something to say?"

He took another sip of wine. "No."

"Well you must have something to say because you made a strange sound when I said that I was shy."

"I suppose shy is not one of the words I would use to describe you, is all."

"And what words would you use to describe me?" I asked innocently.

"Stubborn."

I laughed. "Of course. Go on."

"Irritating, and irritable."

"Uh! No!" I frowned, thinking. "Well at least not the second one!"

He gave a small laugh. I loved it when he laughed; it made him look so young and happy. The hardness around his mouth disappeared and his eyes became soft and kind. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Coruven get up and leave.

The King did not notice his son leave. He went on, "No? Not the second one? Well...hmm… let me think.."

He pretended to think for a long moment, looking in my eyes and then raised his hand, "Aha! I've thought of a few more."

"And?"

"Thoughtful."

I smiled.

"Brave."

I frowned. And shook my head.

He shook his head as well, but in the affirmative. "Yes, Brave."

He was now speaking very softly, and I didn't even realize how or when he had done so, but he had now taken my hand.

"Comely."

I blushed.

"Clever."

I started, and so did he, because there was a large crash in the hall, and some loud voices. Many things happened that at that moment. Several people stood up at their tables, and the musicians playing during our feast all stopped.

Three men came into the hall, followed by several elven guards. They were definitely men of my mortal race, which I could see from their thick dark hair and scruff, as well as their heavy walk. They all wore black, travel stained clothes, with swords at their belts.

And as they approached the high table where the King, his lords and I sat, I could see one other thing. They were the men who were chasing Aeiliel and me halfway across the world for my cousin, minus one of them.

I believe I was frozen, and could not have been able to move if I wanted to.

The King quickly dropped my hand and raised his voice in anger, reminding me and everyone in the hall how terrifying he could be when upset.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

A young member of the elven guard stepped forward in front of the men, "My King, these men demanded a word with you. We told them to wait, that you were feasting but-"

One of the men, clearly the leader of the three, interrupted the elf, by stepping in front of him. He looked at the King for a moment, and then, losing interest, turned his eyes to mine, and would not let them go.

I tried not to shudder but failed quite miserably. It was not the first time our eyes had met, but the terror of the experience was not lessened during the second go round.

He spoke to King Thranduil, still looking at me.

"We've come on behalf of Lord Baldrick, the governor of Lebennin, who desires the safe return of his cousin Laurwen."

The King sat up very straight.

"I see. Well, the lady Laurwen is doing quite well in this realm, and I don't think will be traveling soon."

Reaching into his dark coat, the man pulled out a rolled up peace of parchment, and unraveling it, held it for all in the hall to see before announcing loudly, "The steward of Gondor has signed this decree saying that the young Lady should be returned to her cousin and her home."

"What makes the steward think that he has the right to command something like that?" said Thranduil.

"His lordship is simply concerned about the young lady. Allowing her to be under the guidance of her cousin is a safe way to ensure that she is not tempted by any of the traitorous tendencies that plague the rest of her family."

My chair made a loud scraping sound as it pushed back when I suddenly stood up.

"How. Dare. You. There is nothing traitorous about anyone in my family, save for my cousin." I said through gritted teeth.

The King stood up, too, and gently put his hand on my shoulder.

He spoke loudly, in his kingly voice for all to hear, "The authority of Gondor is not recognized in this Kingdom. You men will be permitted to leave this realm safely, but should you try to return, I cannot guarantee you the same kind reception."

They turned, without bowing and without word, and strode quickly out of the hall.

The feast dispersed after they left, everyone's good mood ruined.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit, everything belongs to Tolkien and this story is not for profit.**

**A/N: Thank you to all of the people who followed/favorited/read the last chapter and all the chapters before! And a special thanks to ABottleOfWine and xxyangxx2006 for their kind reviews last chapter.**

**Chapter 8**

_We came out of the White Mountains colder, hungrier, and even more sullen._

_But luckily, no ghosts thought it worthwhile to spook us, because we passed through the mountains undisturbed by spirits._

_I pointed out as much to Aeiliel as we were stumbling out of the unforgiving mountains and onto the green turf of Northern Gondor._

_"__It's too bad we don't have any really scary ghost stories to tell your family when we get to Rohan." I teased._

_She scowled._

_I laughed, something I had not done for weeks. "I mean it's really a shame. You were so sure the mountains were haunted. And we didn't even get a good "boo". _

_Her voice was bleak when she answered my taunts. "Maybe we died back in the mountains, and we are the ghosts now." She started walking faster. _

_I paused watching her. "What an awful thing to say." _

_I ran back up to her, my boots squishing in the mud with every step that I took. It was a beautiful windy day, and the only sound to be heard was the rustling of the trees and the crying of the birds. The morning was not particularly warm, but it felt so it us after our long trip through the snowy mountains. _

_"__What now, do you think?" I said walking beside her and matching her quick pace. _

_"__They will be delayed for quite a bit after taking their horses through the mountains, but after that I assume they will find us again rather quickly."_

_"__I agree." I said. _

_"__The only question now is which way would be best to take. I'm not really sure, and I'm also not familiar with this area of Gondor."_

_"__Well, I am a little. And I believe that we aren't in Gondor anymore. Nearby is the city of Edoras, on the river Snowbourne, the capital city of Rohan."_

_She looked up, surprised. "Really?" _

_"__Really, really." I said looking ahead._

_"__Well that's incredible! We can ask the King and Queen of Rohan for aid! They have soldiers and an army."_

_I looked away somewhat awkwardly. "I'm not sure that going to the King and Queen is the best idea. I don't want to turn this into a huge affair between our two nations. I think it might be better for us to continue to stay as inconspicuous as possible."_

_Aeiliel let out a snort of disbelief. "Are you joking? We're a few miles away from one of the most powerful people in the world, and you don't want to ask for help? What is the matter with you?"_

_"__Well, we don't even know if we can trust them." I said._

_She rolled her eyes. "We can trust them."_

_"__I just think it might be safer to try to stay away from the public eye. I don't want to start a war here."_

_She put a hand on my shoulder and stopped our walk. She stood there, looking me in the eye. "No, that's not it. There's a reason why you don't want to ask the rulers of Rohan for help. What is it?"_

_"__I just said. I don't want to start a war, and I'm not sure if I can trust them."_

_I tried to shrug her off but instead she just grabbed my other shoulder with her other hand, so we were facing each other with both of her hands on my shoulders. _

_"__Tell me." She said calmly._

_"__I just don't really think that…Rohan… and their rulers are...well…trustworthy. I mean, we don't think so in Gondor."_

_Her mouth dropped open. "Oh my goodness. Is this about the about the rivalry between Gondor and Rohan? It is, isn't it! That is so ridiculous."_

_This time she let me shrug her off and I started walking away from her. _

_She ran after me, saying as she caught up with me, "I hope you aren't seriously considering putting us in unnecessary danger by refusing to accept help from the King and Queen of my homeland."_

_I jumped onto a stone in the middle of a creek and glanced back at her. "Well I hope you aren't actually asking me that when you already know the answer."_

_I smiled and jumped to the other side of the stream, ignoring her glare. _

_…_

_I agreed to at least go through the city (which was more like a town by Gondor's standards) as long as Aeiliel agreed not to send word of our presence to the king and queen of Rohan. _

_"__If it had been I who was the Governor's daughter, and you the stableman's daughter who must obey, this little journey of ours would have gone very differently. We would probably be sitting back in your family castle with your cousin in the dungeons by now. I just want you to know that." She hissed at me. _

_We turned a corner through the busy street. "You hardly ever 'obey' me, and we would be dead by now if we only took your advice." I responded a little loudly._

_She put a finger over her mouth, reminding me to be quiet. After taking a glance around she discreetly pulled her hood even farther down over her blond hair. _

_"__Give me one of your coins. I'm going to go buy us some provisions. You go find us a room at one of the inns."_

_I reached into my cloak and put one of the golden coins into her out-stretched hand. _

_"__Are you sure it's a good idea that we separate?" _

_She rolled her eyes. "Don't be silly. I'll be fine, and I'll find you."_

_"__Alright," I muttered, walking away._

_…__.._

_I was tending to the fire with a poker later that evening when the door to the room flew open._

_I jumped back dropping the poker and saw Aeiliel pressed against the door she had just slammed shut, pressing a package to her chest and starting at me with huge, scared eyes. _

_"__They're here."_

_"__What?" I asked, still trying to get my heart to start working again. _

_"__You heard me!" She whispered, throwing the package on the floor on peeking through the curtains in the room. "The men who have been chasing us are here!"_

_"__What? They're here in the city?" I asked._

_"__They are here in this inn!" She said throwing a tortured glance back at me._

_I came and started peering out the window with her. "But how can that be?"_

_"__I don't know." She whispered._

_Looking out the window all I could see was the dark street of the town, some nearby buildings, and a few stragglers still wandering about._

_"__Over there." She said pointing._

_I could just barely make out, from where I was standing at the window, black horses in the stables of our inn, ones that I would recognize anywhere. _

_"__Oh no. Do you think that they know we are staying in the same inn?"_

_She looked at me like I had just asked her if there were any orcs in Mordor. "Of course not! I doubt we would be alive if they did." She looked over at me and our eyes met. "What are we going to do?"_

_I thought for a minute. "Don't worry, I have another plan."_

_"__Great." She said under her breath. _

_…_

_When I returned and hurriedly sneaked back into our room, Aeiliel was pacing the room. It looked as if she hadn't even sat down since I had left._

_"__Where were you? You said you would be gone for only a few minutes!" she hissed._

_"__I know, but I walked extra slow to make sure I wasn't spotted by any of them."_

_"__Well I don't think you have to worry about that. They are probably all in the common room having a drink." She looked over at the package I was carrying. "What did you get?"_

_"__You'll see." I said. "Did you pack all of our things like I asked?"_

_She held up our two small leather bags in answer._

_"__Good. Now I need you to trust me, because we are going into the stables."_

_She only said three things in disagreement as we snuck over to the stables, to my happiness._

_As we approached our pursuers' horses, I told Aeiliel to stand watch over the door while I took out the things that I had just bought. _

_She stood and opened the door a little; glancing back every now and then to peek at what I was doing. _

_"__What are you doing?' She asked._

_I was opening a sack of herbs at the moment, and using a horsewhip I had swiped off the wall to stir the herbs into a pail of water. "These are sleeping herbs I bought from an apothecary. I'm making a drought to put their horses to sleep. I saw my elder brother do this once when my parents were going to Minas Tirith and refused to take him along. Our horses drank just a bit of this stuff, and afterwards were too dozy to go anywhere for two days, and then when they could travel they were dizzy and disoriented, losing their way and traveling in circles. I'm hoping that this will hinder our chasers long enough to buy us some time to get to your family's home."_

_She nodded and turned back to the door. _

_Once the drought was sufficiently diffused, I heaved the pale over to the first of their horses. I may not have been a stableman's daughter like Aeiliel, but I knew enough to recognize that these horses were thirsty; even so, the first horse would not even sniff the water. I tried the second, and the third, the fourth, and the fifth. All the same. They would not take it. _

_"__How is it going?" Aeiliel whispered from the door._

_I set down the pail in frustration. "Awfully. They won't take any. I can't understand why."_

_"__Here," she said coming quickly away from the door and pushing me towards it, "you keep watch for a bit and I'll try to see what is the matter." _

_I stared out across the street to the inn, chancing a glance back at Aeiliel only every so often. _

_"__I see the problem," she said, "these horses are too well trained. They will take no food or orders from any but their masters." She sounded awed. "These horses are worth a fortune. It takes years to brake a horse this well." _

_"__That's wonderful, Aeiliel. The horses are special. Now what are we going to do?" I said, agitated. _

_"__Go very quickly into the other room and see if you can find the keys to their stalls. Maybe we can find a way to spook them out of here."_

_I ran quickly to the back of the stable and turned a corner into the room where the equipment was held._

_I took the knife that had been in my saddlebag out of my belt and held it out-ready to use it to threaten a stableman if I had to. Lucky for me, he was sleeping on a pile of hay besides the door to the room. And all of the keys were hanging on the wall beside him._

_Turning on the heel of my boot, I quickly and quietly ran back to the stalls holding the keys in one hand and my knife still in the other. _

_I froze as I came into the main stalls. _

_Walking as slowly and deftly as a lion hunting its prey, one of the men, one of the fiends who had been chasing us for so long, was walking up to Aeiliel, who was turned away petting the nose of one of their horses. He was dressed in all black, and had his sword in both hands, gripping it tightly to his side, getting ready to swing for her head._

_Like a dream, like a mirage, like it was someone else in my body doing it, I ran up behind the man and thrust my knife through his back._

_Aeiliel jumped back when she heard his body THUMP to the ground and turned to look._

_I can imagine the sight she must have seen; a grown man lying dead in a pool of his own blood, and little old me, with eyes that were probably as wide as hers were at the moment, hardly believing what I had just done._

_"__You killed him, Laurwen."_

_"__Yes." I whispered._

_She looked from me to him, and then to me again._

_"__You killed a man."_

_My voice was too choked up to answer her at the moment._

_"__You saved my life." Now she was scowling, no doubt thinking I would never, for as long as we both lived, let her hear the end of it._

_I let out hysterical bark of a laugh. "I did."_

_"__Quick!" She grabbed the knife that I still had a death grip on out of my hand and went over to the water pail and cleaned it before giving it back to me. _

_"__We need to clean this up and get rid of the body." She walked around looking for something to clean the blood up with. _

_First I took the keys and unlocked all five of the horses stalls. I tried to kick them or move them out, but none would budge. _

_Seeing it was fruitless, I saw five dark cloaks hanging on the walls, and brought two over to help clean up the blood. _

_As I threw one of the cloaks over to Aeiliel, the horses gave a start. _

_Her eyes widened in excitement. "Of course!" She said coming over to me. "These are _blind_ horses! That's part of the reason these men have been able to always track us so carefully. These horses were trained to use their sense of smell to guide them." She smiled at me. "I bet when you threw these cloaks over to me, the animals recognized their master's scent. If we put on these cloaks, I bet they would obey us."_

_"__It is worth a try." I said, still a little too shocked at what I had done to be as excited as she was. _

_As we were tying on our cloaks, the door to the stables flew open. The four remaining chasers all stood in the doorway, starting at us, at their horses, and at their dead companion on the floor. _

_Everyone in the room was too surprised for a moment to move, until one of the men stepped forward. _

_I could tell by the way he carried himself that he was the leader, and I felt a chill go down my spine as his cruel eyes met mine. _

_He quickly unsheathed his sword. _

_But Aeiliel was quicker. _

_She snatched my knife out of my hand and with it stabbed one of the horses that had come out of the stall. The horse gave a horrifying shrill cry and reared up, kicking its two legs in the air and running through the men._

_"__Let's go!" She shouted to me as the men struggled to get up and act in the confusion._

_Following her lead we each jumped onto one of their horses, grabbing their manes and kicking them. The horses, smelling their masters from the cloaks we were wearing, obeyed our command, and we bolted through the men and out of the stable. _

_…__._

I had a strange experience when I awoke the next morning. I woke up in my clean, white bed in my lovely bedroom, feeling absolutely awful. I knew that something awful had happened, but I couldn't remember what. It was only a few minutes later, as I sat in front of my mirror coming out my thick black hair, that I remembered. _Oh yes. I was being chased, and still am, and have brought horrible danger upon everyone that has so kindly taken me in. I have put my King in danger…_

And I now had the very unpleasant task of trying to fix all of this.

I sighed, looking down at Carotene's face. The fox was sitting on my lap as I brushed my hair out. "If only _you _could tell me what do."

My fox didn't respond; instead he just blinked his remaining eye and then curled back up into a slumbering ball.

I refused Galessel's help this morning with my dressing and my hair. I was not really in the mood to speak to anyone today. After I braided my hair into its rope, I tied up my tall leather boots and put on a dark blue dress with a matching hood in cape, and carefully went out of the king's halls with Carotene and into the woods for a morning walk.

I was casually strolling by a wide stream, playing the occasional game of fetch with Carotene; that is, throwing him a pinecone every now and then before he ran it back to me, and trying to think out my problem.

I had always thought, in my heart, that by now my brother would have tried to reclaim our homeland from Baldrick. My brother Fiske was a man grown now and not a fool, he would wait until he was sure of support from Lebennin and the surrounding provinces before he challenged our cousin, but it had been more than three years. Surely he would have been ready by now to fight Baldrick? Did he not care that the man still had our two younger brothers in his custody? That they were in danger? That I was in danger?

And now we were not the only ones being affected. I knew that it could mean trouble for the woodland elves if they continued to give me shelter. The king's stark defense of me the night before was proof that things could get dangerous… and yet the way he had stood up and demanded that they could not take me gave me a deep, selfish pleasure.

But if returning to my cousin was the only way to ensure the safety of all of the people that I had come to love so much, maybe it was the best way. Esteldes, Padhrion, Galessel, Carfon, Hatholben, the King…I could not risk a hair on any of their heads. Indeed, even Coruven did not deserve to be in danger for my sake.

I was pulled out of my thoughts for a moment as Carotene unexpectedly sprinted away.

"I am afraid your fox does not like me."

I turned and saw the King approaching me.

I gave a nervous little laugh. "I believe he remembers that time you locked him up, and he has just not forgiven you yet." I curtsied low in front of him as he came up to me. "You will excuse me, my lord. I did not hear you approach. I did not mean to intrude upon you."

"You did not intrude. I came here with the intent of finding you." On my puzzled expression, he added, "I wished to speak with you."

I bowed my head. "Your presence honors me, your grace."

He frowned.

"Do you know, I think I prefer it when you are being insolent, because then at least you are being honest. Please, let's try this again."

"Your presence worries and pleases me, your grace."

He shot me his signature slight upturn at the side of his mouth. "Much better." He offered me his arm and tucked it into the crook of his shoulder as we began to walk together along the Forest River. It seemed to me as we strolled through the ancient trees and along the rushing water that I was almost a girl again, so tall was he that my arm was practically reaching into his robed elbow.

"Do you come here very often?" he said.

"When I can." I answered. "Enjoying the scenery is a pleasant way to fill one's time, is it not?"

He didn't answer. After a few moments, he asked me, "May I ask how you spent most of your time when you used to live in Pelargir?"

I was flattered and confused, that he would wish to know these things about me. I spoke, staring out at the landscape, " I read often, when the weather was particularly bad. I find it a pleasure to read indoors during the rain. Well, I also read when the weather was good. There was an old willow tree outside of the castle that was perfect to read under during a sunny, warm day. Oh, I don't know. I did normal things. I rode, I played, I danced and laughed." I nodded towards the river. "I used to take long walks along the Anduin River just as we are doing now."

He was silent but I knew he was listening and considering. After a moment, I added,

"And I loved to play my harp. Especially, playing my harp."

I glanced up at his face, wondering if he had noticed the unintentional depth of emotion in my voice. Besides my family and my home, playing music was the thing I missed most about my old life. Part of my home, _was_ playing the harp. My father had given one to me before I was even old enough to play, and ever since then it had been a passion of mine. I had learned to play before I had learned to read. Sometimes now I even dreamed that I was playing.

He met my glance before we both looked away, but I could not tell what he was thinking.

"And you, your highness?" I asked. "What did you do before? Before you were king of all this, I mean," I gestured widely the woods around us, "and were simply a lowly young prince?" I teased.

He smiled for a moment. I thought he was going to tell me, but then his face grew hard. "That was a long time ago." And that was all he would say about his youth. I wondered if he were picturing me, a young girl in Lebennin, running along the banks with my black hair wild behind me, or me, sitting the corner of a feast, preferring not to participate in the dancing or revelry, but sitting quietly in the corner of the hall with the other musicians, quietly strumming my harp, as I was trying to picture him now, as a young elf, traveling with is mother, or climbing the trees of his forest, before grief had given him hard lines around his eyes and mouth and evil had entered the forest that used to be known as Greenwood.

"You know why I had to speak to you." He finally said.

"I know." I knew he were thinking about what had happened last night; the men, the threats.

"I wished to know what you were thinking about all of this." He said.

I looked away and whispered, "I was thinking that maybe it would be better for all of us if I went with them and did as my cousin said."

He pulled our walk to an abrupt stop. "THAT! THAT is what I was afraid of! How can you say that? To have come so far and so long, only to go and basically give yourself up for dead to the man who murdered your parents? Do you have so little concern for life?"

He was hurting my arm, holding it so tightly in his, and with his other hand that he had reached over to cover mine with; but I scarcely noticed, entranced as I was with the severity in his cold blue eyes.

"It is because I have such value for life that I consider it! How can I risk the lives of you and your people by staying here in your halls when it could risk an attack or war?"

"You may think that you would be doing the selfless thing, but I assure you, my people would rather fight to death to protect an innocent, then let someone die for the chance of being safer. We are elves. And think about your brothers as well. Think about me."

I looked up at me. He moved his hands to each of my shoulders and stared into my eyes gravely, "I want you to promise me, promise me, that you won't try and return to your cousin."

When I didn't answer, he shook me once as he said again, "Promise me!"

"I promise." I whispered.

He let me go and we resumed our walk.

…

I found it both irritating and heartwarming how pointedly kind everyone was to me at dinner.

Except Coruven, who tried to bring up yesterday's events, to my dismay. I could have sworn that he saw how uncomfortable the subject made me and was doing it on purpose.

As I sat on the edge of my bed taking the pins out of my hair, there was a short knock at the door before the king opened it and stood in my doorway. He had long since removed the guards that used to stand outside of my room, and so it was just him now.

I stood up expectantly, but instead of coming into the room he extended his hand and asked me to come with him.

I took his hand and followed him down the hallway and away from the guest rooms of his halls. We passed waterfalls and crafts rooms until we came down to a quiet part of the halls.

At the end of the hallway we came up to a small staircase, which he led me up, at the end of which was a heavy wooden door with a rusty doorknob.

The King let go of my hand for a moment to twist the doorknob and push against the door. It opened with a creak and he held the door open for me to go inside. When I was inside he took a torch off of the wall in the hall and came inside lighting the room up.

"Oh." I said breathlessly.

Everything in the room was old, and I could tell could not have been used for at least hundreds of years. Everything in the room was covered in layer upon layer of dust and cobwebs, but underneath-underneath!-I could see that it was a music room. There were lutes and pipes, there were stringed instruments and wind instruments. There were instruments made of wood and instruments made of metal and sheets of music and a million different wonderful things. And at the center of the room there was a large golden harp.

"What is this?" I said turning to him. His face was flickering from the light of the torch.

He gazed around at the dusty room. "It was a wedding gift from Elrond. Hoping I think to spread some of the Rivendell art to Mirkwood. But it was never used." He looked back to me. "It's for you."

I looked at him with my mouth hanging open.

He almost smiled at me. "Someone might as well put it to good use. You could hardly call the players we have now musicians….and there should be music in Mirkwood."

"I do not know what to say, sir."

"Don't say anything. Just play."


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit, everything belongs to Tolkien, and this story is not for profit.**

**A/N: Thank you for all of your kind reviews! And also everyone who favorited or followed! I appreciate your support!**

**Chapter 9**

_For days we followed the River Snowbourne north, but it was not the same as it had been the last time we had traveled along the river. Our old horses were gone, replaced with the beasts of our enemies, and we were not as well rested or good humored as before. We no longer took pleasure in gazing across the shimmering waters, or waving to the fishermen and river people. Now we were solemn, and quiet. We rode on our enemies' horses all day, quickly; our only rests were to find something to eat and we slept on the horses, who also had been trained to sleep lightly and standing, for a few hours at night. But I felt, as I am sure Aeiliel did as well, that there was no longer that fire or desire to live anymore. Trying to survive was a lonesome routine, and I was weary of it._

_Time passed, the river we followed forked, and then we were following a new river. This one continuing to take us ever northward, into the north of Rohan, where hopefully Aeiliel's family, and safety, awaited us. _

_A month after our time in Edoras, we had decided to take a longer rest one night. It was a beautiful evening, all the stars visible in the clear night sky, and Aeiliel and I built a campfire a decided to give ourselves and the horses a whole night of rest. _

_As we laid out there on our capes, staring up at the sky, I started crying. _

_Aeiliel heard, looked over at me, and came over and put her arm around me. It was the first time I had cried since before my parents had been killed. _

_We lay silently for a moment, except for the sounds of my sobs._

_I wasn't just crying for my parents, or my lost home, or because I was miserable and tired, or even because I had killed a man, but because a horrible, undeniable truth had steadily become clear to me, and I could ignore it no longer. If I went with Aeiliel to Rohan, where her family was, then the men would follow us, and put all of her family in danger, and that I could not allow. _

_"__You know I can't go." I whispered, after an hour of silence. _

_"__I know we can't." She whispered back. _

_Her words made me start crying again. She had answered my silent question, if she was coming with me, and said yes. As much as I wished I could, I knew there would be no way to dissuade her. She would come with me, and she would probably die for it. I squeezed her hand, happy for her company, in spite of all things. _

_…__._

_So we continued to follow the river up, up and away from all the country we had ever known. I could not even be sure where we were going now. I had a picture in my head, from a map I had seen in one of the rooms of the castle, that detailed most of the known lands, but child that I was I had only been interested in the areas I knew or had heard of, like Rohan or the Black Land. I knew there were other lands; tall mountains and deep mines, enchanted forests where elves dwelt and places so old and strange that held creatures the people of Gondor had no name for them. But all the places outside of the South were foggy in my mind, and I felt like I was traveling blind. _

_When we came to a large, and dark wood, Aeiliel said this was time that we should change our course. _

_"__Why?" I asked, gazing out at the trees that stood so tall against the late summer sunset. _

_"__I believe we have come to Fangorn forest, and the forest is filled with much magic and evil, as the tales say. It would be best now for us to go another way."_

_I admitted that standing on the borders of the forest did give me a strange sense of foreboding, and so I listened to Aeiliel when she told me that if we traveled East, we would come back to the Great River eventually, the same one that stretched eventually into Pelargir, and we could follow it North into the unknown lands that it may take us. _

_We used the Sun and the stars to show us the way east, now that we no longer had landmarks to follow. _

_We had spent a week traveling east when we saw people for the first time. We had stumbled across a small settlement of farms._

_We arrived on the small village at nightfall, and the fields all around the town were all in flames, lighting up the sky and grounds in a blaze. Some people that saw us riding in called for us to help. We immediately jumped off our horses and went to help fill up pails of water from the stream and carry them back to the blaze. Everyone in the town must have been there, down to the smallest child that could carry a pail of water. There was no way for the fire to be extinguished by just the water from the creek beds, but we, along with the rest of the town, worked the entire night, using the water to keep pushing the water east, where it came to a huge river that ended the fire. _

_When the fire was finally out, and everyone stood around assessing the damages, Aeiliel and I exchanged a meaningful glance. We both knew that we had arrived at the Great River, and now we would travel north, into the wide world. _

_Before we continued our travels, the people of the village insisted we stay for few days to rest and let our burns get treated. We were fed very well, and the beds were so large and soft, compared to the rocky ground we had slept on for months, that I had no idea where I was when I awoke in one of the villager's homes. Even more confusing, I wondered why there was a bandaged fox sleeping on my pillow, until I recalled the night before, when I had found a fox that had been injured from the fires-one eye completely burned out- and insisted against everyone's refusal to take it back with me. _

_…__._

I still went out occasionally, to walk outside, and fish, or just visit with all of the elves that I had met, but most of my time now I spent in the music room. Just as the King had said, it didn't look like it had been used at all. But after I cleaned the dust off of everything, and got rid of all the cobwebs, I could see that it was really a very grand room. The furniture and instruments were all made of the finest wood and gold, but one wouldn't really expect anything different from elves. They always had the finest clothes, tools, and men.

One of the things they had enjoyed explaining to me was the difference between the elves. My entire life living in Gondor I had always assumed that elves were all the same; but they readily explained to me that there were quite a few differences between the elves. The Silvan elves, Galessel explained to me, were the very best kind of elves (although I imagine her opinion might be biased, she being a Silvan herself). They were the ones that dwelt in Mirkwood. She explained to me in great detail how they were different from the Sindar-which was the kind that the King and his family belonged to-but through all the complicated discussion about lineages and migration, the only thing I really remembered from it all was that Silvan elves had pointier ears, and their hair was usually a brownish-color, and the Sindar's hair was the shiny golden-white that the king's was. She tried to explain about even more types of elves, but I suggested that was enough for one day. Rather than be offended, she expressed delight that I had been interested in their history.

Living with the elves for so long had made me curious now about them. As I polished the harp now I wandered about the elf named Elrond, who the king said had given him this room as a wedding present, and who they said was a great elf in Rivendell, much like the king was a very great elf in Mirkwood.

I was just thinking how I would ask the King about Elrond and Rivendell when I saw him again, when the door opened. I thought it was the King at first from his height and hair, but when he stepped into the room I saw to my dismay that it was Coruven who had come.

I began to get up to curtsey, but he gestured me to sit down.

Instead he came and sat down on one of the other chairs across from me.

We awkwardly exchanged a few half-hearted pleasantries. Before long neither of us had anything to say, so I sat awkwardly, not playing, because I thought that might be rude, but not sure either what I should be doing.

Coruven himself was turning his head to look all around the room. After he had done this for a few moments, he stopped, and smiled grimly at me.

"I see you have made yourself quite at home here." He said.

"I have tried to tidy it up, yes." I answered. "His highness the king, your father, told me to make use of it."

He gave a short, bitter laugh. "Yes I can understand that. My mother certainly never used it, so of course he would give it to _you_ instead."

I stared down at a small wind instrument, frowning. _His mother?_ "The King told me that it was a wedding gift from Lord Elrond…"

"Yes, it was a wedding gift to _her_. He hoped that she would take an interest, and play for my father. But she had no desire to play or listen. She was a warrior, and had no time for such silliness. And so this room was never used and was soon covered in dust…"

I found I had nothing to say.

But it didn't matter, because he took a deep breath, and his eyes bore into mine. "You must be wondering why I am here."

"Yes."

"I wanted to tell you, that I am dreadfully sorry for you about this business with your cousin Baldrick. What he did to your parents is just terrible. I know what it's like to lose a parent." He paused, took another breath. " I know my father himself thinks that you will be safest here, in Mirkwood. But I myself think that it is dangerous for the rest of us if you continue to stay here. What I wanted to tell you is, if you think it best that you surrender yourself to your cousin, or if you want to go somewhere else, not to your cousin but to a different land, I would offer my help in any way that I can."

"Oh. Well…I … er… thank you?" A strong desire for Aeiliel to be here shook through me. She was always so astute about reading people. She could tell in an instant if a person was lying, telling the truth, or if they were keeping something or had something else on their mind. I could have used her perception now.

"Consider it for a while. You can let me know at dinner tonight your decision, and if your decision is yes, I can have you out of this realm by tomorrow morning."

"Well, I can't very well tell you at dinner."

"Just give me a sign. Understand?"

"Alright," I whispered, and watched him fold up his robe and leave the room.

…

I dressed quickly for dinner that night, and sought out Haltholben, the elf who had taught me how to shoot, and walked with him to dinner.

He asked me how I was enjoying the music room; he knew the king had given to me.

"Very much. I can imagine few things that would have pleased me more than his gift. But I wished to speak with you a moment about other matters before we arrive at the dining hall."

He looked down at me concerned. "Go on."

"Before I say what I must say, I wish you to know that I am only burdening you with my thoughts because of all the elves I have met here I believe you to be one of the most straightforward, and honest of them all, and that is indeed saying something. I hope I can count on your discretion."

"Of course, my lady."

I took a deep breath. "This business about my cousin troubles me. The longer I stay here, the longer I put everyone around me in danger. But the King assures me he is well able to protect me, and that the people of this realm would rather me stay here than give myself up to the danger my cousin presents. And I have recently discovered an easy way to leave, and remove the threat of danger from this realm. I am not sure how to proceed."

"Hmm." He cleared his throat before continuing. "Well, to speak for myself, I cannot even imagine my own despair if you were to leave and endanger yourself so. I agree with the king, and indeed with the rest of my kin, that we would rather have you here, danger or no. Of course I will not say anything to the king, and I understand why you are conflicted. I cannot answer for you. But I would advise you to follow your heart. In some cases, it may not be always best to listen to your mind, which will only tell you what _should_ be right in some cases. I think you've earned the opportunity to follow your own desires for once."

His words surprised me, because to me he was always the most rational of all elves, but I knew he was right. I could rely on my feelings to take me on the right path.

…..

For most of the feast the king was busy speaking to his counselors and kin. It was fortunate that he did, because I was much too distracted that evening to keep up a conversation with him. I needed to make my decision by the end of dinner and give Coruven a sign. But towards the end of the meal the king turned to me and asked me calmly how I was enjoying the instruments. I answered him, very un-calmly, how it was my greatest pleasure, and far too kind of him, and many other thanks that I stuttered over in my embarrassment.

He raised his eyebrows. "Please stop that babbling. It was really nothing."

I smiled thinly at his words and gave him a teasing look, "Do you mean it is nothing because the whole thing is a plan to keep me occupied during the day and out of trouble?"

There was no humor in his face when he listened to my words. He set his wine cup down, and stared at me seriously, looking me in the eyes. "No." he said. "I thought of nothing but your happiness."

He turned away to speak to someone else, so he did not notice my stare lingering on him, emotion in my eyes and love in my heart.

I took a servant who was walking by their sleeve and asked him if he would do a favor for me.

Ten minutes later the same servant walked back into the hall with my harp as I had requested. The hall quieted down and many people watched curiously, wandering what was going on, including the king, who turned to look at me for the second time that evening.

"I was wondering if I could play you a tune that I wrote for you." I told him.

One of his dazzling rare smiles gave me his consent, and the hall was silent as I walked over and sat at the harp.

The truth is I had not written anything for him yet, but as we held each other's eyes, I wrote him a tune that I made up as I played, using his spirit as my paper and my heart as my quill.

There was a gracious applause when I was done; everyone enjoyed it, especially, I think, the person it was written for.

When I was finished I looked around for Coruven, and I could not find him. But I knew he must have understood. There could be no clearer sign, no more specific answer than if I had just said that I could never leave, then the look in my eyes as I stared at his father with every good thing I could ever feel.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit, everything belongs to Tolkien, and this story is not for profit. **

**Chapter 10**

_And so then there were five of us traveling together: me, Aeiliel, our two stolen horses, and my rescued fox. _

_The fox took to me right away, wild animal though he was, he seemed to know that I was the one who had rescued him from the fire and had bandaged his destroyed eye. I had intended to leave him behind in the river town where I found him, since it was his home, and I knew better than any how hard it can be to leave your home, but when I set him down in a thicket that looked like it would be particularly comfortable for him, he just left and began trotting behind my horse. And every time I would glance back, he would sit and look very still, but he always seemed to be the same distance away from us so I knew the little devil was following us. _

_We ignored the fox's pursuit until my horse(which I have mentioned is a very well behaved one, having been trained so rigorously,) suddenly gave a wild cry and reared up throwing me off. I crawled away from my kicking horse, and when I heard Aeiliel laughing I looked and saw why my horse had acted so strangely. Hanging on for dear life to the wild horse was the one eyed fox, whose claws were dug into the horse's bottom; and even though the horse jumped and kicked, for all the world the fox would not let go. _

_With great patience Aeiliel and I calmed the horse down, and it was clear by this point that the fox was coming with us. Or with _me, _I should say, because he and Aeiliel took an instant disliking to one another. From that point on we traveled north up the great river, and the fox, who was young and still quite small, wrapped itself around my neck like a fur scarf as I rode. But any time I tried to offer Aeiliel a chance to hold Carotene, which was what I began to call him on account of his orange color, they would both hiss at one another. Yes, both of them. _

_I am sure that if Aeiliel could have felt the fox wrapped around her neck, all small and soft and occasionally sniffing or licking her face like Carotene did to mine, she would have grown as fond of him as I was. But since they avoided one another she seemed doomed to hate him forever. _

_What made it worse as well was that he was a much better hunter than she. He was still a wild animal, and would often be gone for hours or even days, but occasionally when he would go off he would drop a rabbit or a squirrel at my feet looking very pleased with himself, and Aeiliel would glare his way since she would try very hard to find something sometimes for us to eat, while I gathered any berries I could find. _

_Regardless of Aeiliel's feelings about Carotene, his presence had undeniably made me happier, and so our journey ever northward was a just a little better since we had left the town that was on fire. _

_But aside from the moments with Carotene there were few things that I remembered about this time of our journey. Mainly because, as usual, our happiness did not last very long. _

_It was late summer when there were a few unexpectedly cold days. Aeiliel and I were Southerners who had been struggling to get used to the colder climates the farther north we traveled, but the cold front was especially brutal to us, and on top of that it rained on these cold days for three days straight. We were miserable, and it was too wet to even light a fire, so it should have been no surprise that a few days later, we both fell very ill. _

_I had never been so sick before up to that point. I was shivering and sweating all at the same time and could not keep any food down. Aeiliel was the same way. _

_We tried to keep going on, sick as we were, because the thought of our pursuers was a constant fear in our minds. But one morning when Aeiliel fainted off of her horse I knew we had to stop or it wouldn't matter if the men caught us because we would be dead anyway. _

_We were very, very ill. We were so sick that for a long time we were unconscious. I could not say if we were unconscious for a week or for a month. But we were so hungry when we recovered that we knew it had at least been a good while, and we knew that however far ahead of the men we had been, we were not so any more. _

_We remounted our horses and continued our journey, and the going was rough. We were still very weak from our illness, and considerably dizzy. _

_I do not think we would have survived had it not been for Carotene. Those few things he would occasionally bring us to eat saved us, for had he not brought something I knew there was no way we could have found food for ourselves. And, because my fox had saved our lives, Aeiliel came to despise him even more, as was her way. _

_But still, we marched on._

_…_

Never until I stayed in Mirkwood had I truly appreciated how beautiful autumn was.

Maybe it was because there weren't quite as many trees in the south of Gondor. The river country of Pelargir was mostly rolling plains, with just the occasional lone tree silhouetted against the horizon. And it seemed that the real beauty of autumn was in the trees, how they changed from green to the brightest of colors; a display that was much more impressive when there were hundreds of trees packed closely together.

I, who had previously always previously always preferred Summer and Winter-definitive seasons where one needn't wonder if it was going to be a cool day, or a hot day, or an in-between day as one often had to during spring or autumn-, actually fond myself mourning the end of autumn. The new winter cold was chilling me, and the gentle sprinkling of snow made me miss the fall that had passed so quickly.

I said as much to the King as we were taking a stroll through the woods together one evening.

He startled me by giving a short little laugh. His laugh always surprised me, it was so rare and unexpected; it was so strange to see his stern face transform into a happier younger elf, which seemed to happen when he smiled.

"Why do you laugh at me?" I asked, a little annoyed.

"I do not laugh at you, lady, but at myself. I used to feel much the same when I first came to Mirkwood so long ago. I remember when I came with my father to the forest, it was like no place I had ever seen. I found beauty in places I had never before looked when I came. And, similar to you, I found fall in Mirkwood to be a breathtaking sight." His eyes grew cold for a moment and he added, "Of course, the forest has changed much since those quiet times, and evil has found its way in."

Then he looked back down to me at his side and smirked.

"But even so, I think you will find winter in Mirkwood to be very beautiful, as well. Perhaps even as beautiful as autumn. In fact, the longer you stay here, I think you will come to love many things you did not think you would love when you first arrived."

"Yes," I agreed quietly, "indeed I already have."

He turned to look at me sharply when I said these words, and his eyes locked with mine for one tense moment. It almost seemed to me that he was gazing at my face with hope, as if trying to figure out if I had meant what I had just said, and if what I had said meant what he hoped I meant.

But after a moment I became uncomfortable and a little sad, knowing that even if we both felt the same way about each other, that it could never be-because of my cousin, his son, because of the simple fact that he was a proud old elven king and I was a young human from Southern Gondor.

So I smiled, laughed a little awkwardly, and said, "I hope I will even be strong enough to see winter in Mirkwood. We don't have this kind of cold in the South; I might be spending a lot of my time indoors."

He laughed with me. He had laughed so much tonight. _I wish he would always be so happy, _I thought to myself_._

"I agree that it can be very hard to get used to the cold when you first arrive. But at least you needn't worry about having to trudge through snow all winter long."

I turned to him sharply, "What do you mean?"

He said, "Look for yourself." He pointed to a spot a few feet away.

It had started to snow. And about ten feet in front of us, there was a narrow little section where the snow was falling through the trees, and making a little dusting pile of snow on the ground, but the snow was not falling all around it- just in the one spot. Just like in the autumn when the sun was shining in the forest, the leaves of the thick canopy at the top of Mirkwood blocked out much of the light, so the light would only stream through in a few places.

The King explained what I was thinking, "The branches at the top of the forest, although leafless in the winter, hold up most of the snow that falls. Not much of it makes it to the ground, as you can see. So it's not bothersome like it is in many places."

I looked around and saw that he was right; there were only a few places where the snow was breaking though the trees. There would never be a blanket of snow on the floor of Mirkwood. There would not be enough to make a snow goblin or have a fight with the snow.

I didn't say anything for a minute; I was too upset to speak.

He seemed to suddenly realize that I was upset, and he suddenly demanded, "You are unhappy. Why?"

I told him how it had never snowed in Southern Gondor, how I had only seen snow once and that was when I came through the White Mountains with Aeiliel, and I was too weak and hurried to enjoy it. I had hoped to one day see a lot of snow, and have the chance to appreciate it.

He was silent for a while after I had spoken. But then he just pulled me forward and we continued to walk on.

After a half hour he said, "It's a nuisance anyway, snow. When there is a lot of it."

"No it isn't." I said, stubbornly(although I really did not know what I was talking about).

"Tell me about this Aeiliel. " The King said.

I realized that aside from my inquiries about her when I had first arrived, I had not spoken about her anymore to anyone else, and had unexpectedly just done so a moment ago. It was just too painful for me to speak about her. I wondered if he had heard the sorrow in my voice. But I realized that I did want to speak about her after all, so as we walked back to his halls I told the king about the only kind of sister that I had ever had.

…

Although Carfon's daughter was very young, and had previously not been allowed to sit at the high table with himself and the king and the rest of their kin because of her youth, I believe the king had told Carfon to bring his daughter to dinner at our table because we had become such good friends.

Being able to chat with Esteldes did make dinner even more agreeable. Now that I was not quite so nervous, dinner became quite an enjoyable routine.

Galessel would dress me up before dinner, and I would usually see an elf that I knew and we would walk to dinner together. We would arrive, and I would see whatever wonderful and different decoration the dining hall was decorated with that night.

I would chat with the other elves at the king's table as we waited for our food, Esteldes and I would laugh and play with our food and swap samples when no one else was looking. Every so often when the king wasn't discussing political matters he would turn to me and say something that usually would make me blush, and, as always now, he would call for me to play something for them all on my harp at the end of the feast, and he would look and listen with such interest and intensity that I imagined he had to be just pretending.

Dinner had been particularly pleasant these last few nights, because Coruven had been nowhere to be seen.

I did not remark upon his absence, and no one else volunteered the information, so I did not say anything. But on the fifth night my curiosity got the better of me and I turned to the king and asked him, "Where is your son?'

"He is out in the forest." The King said casually, taking a sip of his wine.

"Ah," I said, picking up my own glass and swirling the deep red wine around in the cup.

When the king said this, one of the elves at the table jerked up. I recognized him as an older ellon named Ellis. He was a Silvan elf and an important advisor to the king.

He was often grumpy and harsh, which I suspected was one of the reasons my king liked him so much, but even so, and much like the king, he secretly had a heart of gold. He was very honest, and one of the few people, like myself, who was not afraid to tell the King what they were really thinking.

It seemed that I had brought up some old argument; because Ellis started grumbling and the King shot him a glare that said _don't you start_.

I, for one, was too curious to care about the King's wishes, so I asked Ellis what was the matter.

That was all the invitation Ellis needed to slam his fork down and say loudly, "The prince has no business wandering around the forest. It's an evil place and no one who goes outside of our borders is up to any good."

All previous conversations had stopped when Ellis said this, but the noise in the hall did not, because after he spoke I could see several elves nodding assent, and mumbling to one another what seemed to be agreements with Ellis.

"Come, Ellis, must we quarrel at dinner when we have so much to be thankful for?" said Carfon, who always tried to lighten the mood and please the king.

"No, no," said King Thranduil, "If Ellis has an issue let him speak. After all, it doesn't matter. No matter what he says I am not going to forbid my son his to go off as he wishes."

"That boy is a trouble maker and will be poisoned by the evil of the forest!" Ellis said ignoring the King.

Padhrion, who was sitting at the King's table this night, agreed. "Ellis speaks the truth, your highness. Coruven is a prince, he should be studying and training, or visiting our fellow kinsmen in Rivendell or Lorien, as the prince Legolas is so wisely doing. He should not be exploring a place of such evil."

But the King was stubborn as ever, and would not listen. "I am not going to forbid him to go off if he wishes. He is fully-grown now and may do as he pleases. He has already studied quite a bit, and as for his training, is he not almost as good with a bow as prince Legolas?"

No one had an argument for that.

"And anyway", the King said raising his glass, "We don't know that he's wandering around in Mirkwood outside our borders. He may be in the Laketown, or north of the forest. For mercy's sake, he could be visiting his brother in Lorien. We don't know, and it' s not our business. And this dinner is over!"

And the tall king stood up and quickly strolled out of the room, his long robe swishing behind him.

…..

As Galessel helped me unbraid my long braid for bed that night and brush out my hair, I told her about what had happened at dinner.

She frowned, and I learned from her what I had suspected at dinner. That almost all the elves in Mirkwood agreed with Ellis that Coruven was up to no good.

Galessel and Esteldes were the only ones who knew of my dislike for the King's younger son, and I told her that I didn't care if he was in Mordor playing dice with the Dark Lord himself, as long as he wasn't sitting at dinner across from me.

Galessel didn't find my remark funny. "You may think that now, my lady, but it would probably be better for us all if he were sitting at dinner every night where he should be."

I didn't say anything, and I didn't need to, because at that moment there was a knock on the door.

Galessel went to open it, and bowed her head very low when she saw that it was the king there.

He raised her up and asked her to excuse us for a moment.

He was dressed warmly, and had on shorter leather boots that looked very durable, and a long winter cape. He was holding what might be another coat in his hands.

I flushed a deep red when I realized that my hair was down and I had on only my nightgown. But I knew I was being silly, the King had seen me in this exact attire before.

But I did sense now that it was not the same. This time he seemed to be consciously trying very hard to not stare at my thinly covered body and my wild dark hair.

He cleared his throat loudly.

"If you are not too tired, my lady Laurwen, I was wondering if you would accompany me on a walk."

"A walk? In this weather?" Ever since we had spoke about the weather a week ago on our walk when it started snowing, it had not stopped snowing since. And even though, as the King had said it would, it had not covered the ground in snow, it was now even colder out.

"Don't worry. When you said the other day that your Southern blood may not be acclimated yet to the colder climate, I decided that you might be right, and I had this made for you."

He waved me to come forward and reached out and handed me the thing in his hands.

It was indeed a coat, and the most beautiful one I had ever seen. It was very long, and would probably reach down to my ankles when it was on. It was made out of velvet but its color was gold-the same color of my eyes. Beautiful white fur made up the cuffs where the wrists were and also the border around the neck, and all along the bottom edge of the coat.

"It's the most beautiful piece of clothing I have ever seen." I told him honestly.

The King smirked down at me-he _knew_ it was beautiful and that I would love it. But he still looked pleased all the same.

"Here," he said taking it from me and holding it out, "why don't you put it on."

Now it was my turn to clear my throat as I turned around and he came up close behind me.

I couldn't hear him breathe, either because elves breathe very quietly or because he was holding it in like I was, but I could smell the spicy and clean smell he had, and his body was very warm behind me.

He held it out and I slipped one arm through and then the other. It fit snugly to not let any of the cold in, and I could see that it was coated with fir on the inside as well. When my arms were though he turned me around and buttoned it up for me. The buttons only went down to my waist so that my legs would be warm but the movement would not be confined.

When he was done buttoning the coat. He put his hands on my shoulders gently for a moment and looked at me.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I had just thought that the coat would make you eyes look even more golden than usual. I was right."

He sighed, and let me go.

"Put your shoes on, and I will be waiting for you outside of the doors to the halls." He said as he walked out.

…

It was very dark out when I went outside. My boots crunched as I purposefully walked over some of the small piles of snow as I looked for the King.

He was a little ways away, leaning against one of the trees and staring up at the hidden sky.

He took my arm as I came near and led me away from the trees.

"Where are we going?" I said, a little nervous to be leaving his warm halls on a night so cold.

"Don't worry, I think you will enjoy this."

We came after a few minutes to a large tree covered with branches.

He took one easy step with his long legs and got up to the lowest branch then offered me his hands.

"You can't mean for us to climb this thing." I said disbelievingly.

"Of course I mean for you to climb this thing. What did you think, I just climbed up this branch for fun?" He said.

"Don't be anxious," he said after I kept staring up for a moment, "I chose this tree because I knew that there were several branches and it will be easy for you to climb it. "

I was glad Aeiliel wasn't hear at this moment, because if she had known that I was afraid of heights she would have shown me no mercy and made fun of me so much to pay me back for teasing her for being afraid of ghosts. Of course, I could have pointed out to her that being afraid of heights was a perfectly rational fear, because when you are somewhere high you can fall and break your neck, and ghosts are not even real, but Aeiliel wasn't here to tease me into facing my fears, it was just the king and I.

The king was still waiting, and holding his hand out, but I still could not take it.

Instead, to my horrific embarrassment, I could feel my eyes starting to water. I quickly wiped my tears away with my hand but I was horribly afraid he was going to make me climb this tree and I was terrified of doing so.

At first his face sort of scrunched up with irritation but then his eyes became very soft and he said quietly, "Laurwen, I promise as long as you're with me, I'm not going to let anything hurt you. I won't let you fall."

So of course I had to take his hand after that.

He pulled me up to the branch and we slowly made it up the tree. He occasionally would climb a branch first and then pull me up, or if the situation called for it, he would put his long hands on my waist and lift me up to a branch and then follow me up.

A few times near the top I almost gave up.

We came to a spot where the only branch near was very high above the one we were standing on, and it was very narrow too, and I knew he was about to climb up there and then pull me up.

But the branch was so far away that I doubted that he could safely pull me up, so I made the mistake of looking down and seeing how far the fall would be if I fell.

After that I demanded we go back down.

We argued for a minute like we often did, but when I saw he wasn't going to take me back down, and that he was serious about making me go up, I became upset and I could feel the tears coming up again. It may seem childish, but I'm sure most people who are afraid of heights would understand exactly how I felt. As an elf, I am sure he had no idea. But when the king saw that I was very afraid he tried to convince me that I would be alright, but by now I was crying in earnest.

I was sobbing and since I had already abandoned my dignity when I started crying, there was nothing to keep me from doing anything else embarrassing, so I threw my arms around him and closed my eyes and sobbed into his broad chest-begging him to not make me go any higher.

He put his arms around me as well, holding me close and telling me that it would be alright, that he wasn't going to let me fall, whispering my name. He even kissed the top of my cold hair once.

He put his arms even tighter around me then and told me after a few moments to open my eyes.

When I opened them I saw that we were on the branch that I had been afraid to be pulled up to.

I looked up at him in wonder with my tear-stained face and watery eyes, and I realized that of course he could have easily jumped up there holding me and I not even felt us move. He was an elf. He could have probably jumped the branches of this tree in half a minute and made it to the top. He could have done it carrying me the whole way too, but he hadn't, probably because he didn't want to make me feel uncomfortable or hold me when he didn't know if I wanted him to or not.

I wrapped my arms even tighter around him, and so he carried me up the rest of the way, and true to his word, did not let me fall.

I had my eyes closed when he carried me up, but after a few moments he set me down on my feet.

He turned me around in front of him, but he still kept a very tight grip on my waist, covering it with his hands.

I gasped when he told me to open my eyes.

For miles and miles, as far as I could see, snow.

Snow everywhere.

I actually laughed I was so happy, but I quickly covered my mouth with my hand, embarrassed.

The king nearly stopped my heart when he took my hand off my mouth, kissed my palm, and then covered it with his own and held me even tighter, so tight I thought he might break me.

"The branches catch almost all of the snow," he said, "and it just stays here until spring when it melts as water down the trees to the forest floor."

"It's beautiful." I said.

I looked around and he showed me things. The snow had stopped falling for a moment and he showed me all the stars. And far, far off into the distance he showed me the lonely mountain, where he said a terrible dragon had been sleeping for hundreds of years. I thought he might have been teasing me.

He also showed me, a few feet higher, at very top of the tree, where a group of flowers were growing.

The King told me he did not know what they were called, because few people had ever climbed this high during the winter. These flowers, he told me, only grew at the very tops of these trees, and only in the snowy weather.

I told him that was a shame, because they were the most beautiful flowers I had every seen. It was unpleasant that one would have to come so high to see them.

They looked very much like white roses, except sprinkled all over the petals were little dots of the colors blue and purple.

"Thank you." I told him, turning my head up and around to look at his.

"It was my pleasure." He said. "I just wanted to you see the snow, since you seemed to desire it so much. And I wanted you to imagine if this were all on the ground, and try to understand what a nuisance it would really be."

I laughed. "Don't try to ruin this for me. It's beautiful. Can we come up again some times?"

"As often as you like. If you trust my hands to carry you."

In answer, I took one of his palms and kissed them, as he had just done to me.

….

I woke up late the next chilly morning, and was not at all surprised to see beside my bed, a crystal bowl filled with snow, and on top of the snow, three of the snow flowers, all white and blue and purple.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit, everything belongs to Tolkien, and this story is not for profit. **

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who favorited/followed/reviewed the last chapter!**

**Chapter 11**

_We continued to travel north up the river weak and weary, never having recovered from our last illness, never having really recovered from anything. _

_Even the few moments that we slept were riddled with unrest. We both tossed and turned and dozed more than what one would call sleep. Around this time I had a recurring nightmare about stabbing a man in the back. Thinking I was protecting myself, I would watch the man remain standing and then realize with a pang that the man was just an empty robe, that the real enemy was standing a few paces away, smiling and waving, before he shoots an arrow into my heart. That's always when I would wake up. And when I did lie a few minutes staring up at the stars after an uneasy sleep, I could hear Aeiliel tossing and turning as well, and I would wonder about what she had nightmares about. _

_We tried to stay off the main paths, and so we did not encounter many fellow travelers or any locals, but one morning when we woke up from a restless night underneath an old tree, and found a little girl staring down at us. _

_I jumped up when I saw her and gave a small scream. Then Aeiliel jumped as well, but she hit her head on the way up on a low branch and the only thing she was able to do for the next few minutes was curse. Since Aeiliel was unable, I took it upon myself to inquire what the girl was doing. _

_She just giggled for a moment, then when I grew angry she finally drew her hand away from her mouth. _

_"I apologize. You and your friend sound funny when you speak. And look at your clothes."_

_Aeiliel frowned, still rubbing her head, and came toward the girl. "Didn't your parents teach you how unkind it was to remark on people speak? Or that standing over strangers when they sleep is a good way to get yourself killed?"_

_"I think what my friend means," I said hurriedly when I saw the little girl's face twisting unpleasantly, "is that you sound just as silly to us as we do to you."_

_The girl was indeed a local. I had not met many people from the north, but the way she dressed and spoke was different. Differences aside, if this girl was representative of most northern people, I wasn't sure living in the north would be such a good idea. _

_"Is there anything you need young lady?" I asked her when she just kept standing around us._

_"If you need food, we haven't got any." Aeiliel said sharply. _

_I shot her a look, but the little girl seemed to not notice Aeiliel's dislike of her._

_"I have food at my home! With my parents! You must come with me!"_

_"No." Aeiliel said._

_"Where do your parents live?" I asked, ignoring Aeiliel. Free food was nothing for us to turn our noses up at. _

_"On the other side of the ridge! Not very far."_

_"Would they mind if we came?" I asked._

_"Of course not! They would love to have you…"_

_"Well, it will take a minute for us to untie our horses…"_

_"Laurwen!" Aeiliel screeched. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"_

_I followed her away from the little girl to behind some trees and she reeled on me. _

_"What are you thinking? When you were washing our knives in the river last night did you happen to wash your brain out as well?"_

_"I know what you're going to say Aeiliel, but the girl says her parents have food for us. The farther north we travel the more trouble Carotene has been having hunting. We're too weak to be hungry right now. I think a nice meal could be the difference at this point between life and death."_

_"I think you are letting your stomach do your thinking for you." Aeiliel grumbled. _

_She followed me though, and we both followed the young girl to the cottage where she said her parents lived. _

_Their home was bright and airy, with flowers planted outside and vines growing on the walls._

_If I had had any doubts about whether following the girl was wise, they all dissipated when I walked through the doors and smelled bread being baked in the brick stove in the house. _

_A beautiful young woman was standing and chopping meat up at the counter. She turned when she heard us come in. _

_"Bringel, who have you brought?" She asked her daughter as she clutched her mother's skirts. _

_"We apologize, miss, for disturbing you, but we have traveled many hard miles, and your daughter told us that if we came to your home, you would be able to feed us. Of course we have some money to pay you with…"_

_The young woman smiled. "There will be none of that," she said, "any weary travelers as kind as you young ladies are always welcome in my home. It will be a few minutes until the food is ready; if you all would like, we have a warm spring just outside the house. You can take a warm bath there while Bringel takes your dresses down to be washed in the river."_

_We thanked her heartily. Even Aeiliel, who told me that this was going to take too long, could not resist the thought of a warm bath before a large meal. _

_The spring was warm indeed, and before I had hardly given my dress to Bringel to wash and was left only in my shift, Aeiliel had pushed me into the water. _

_The spring wasn't really very deep, but luckily I didn't hit my head on anything. Aeiliel jumped in after me when she had given her dress to the young girl as well. _

_I was still laughing from being pushed in, when I saw something that took all the humor out of me. _

_As Aeiliel bobbed back above the water I saw her for the first time in a very long time with only her white shift on, which was now outlining her wet body. _

_And the result was frightening. Her ribs protruded out at disturbing angles, becoming her most prominent feature. Her knees were as wide as her thighs and her collarbones were so big they no longer looked attractive but like a mark of starvation. _

_"Aeiliel." I whispered. I couldn't take my eyes away from her horrible, ill, and starved body. And I couldn't stop thinking that her father had promised that his daughter would help me escape. His daughter had saved me several times; she had kept his promise. But I wished she hadn't. I wished she had stayed in Gondor, healthy and well fed. _

_"I know." She said. "But look at yourself."_

_I looked down, and saw to my dismay that I was exactly the same, if not worse off. _

_My ribs were just as prominent, my knees just as wide. My chest, which had been filling out nicely when we set out, was now much smaller. _

_She must have seen me looking at my chest, because she laughed and said, "Don't worry, there was never much there anyway." _

_"Speak for yourself!" I laughed, and when she splashed me with water we started laughing and fighting until it was time to come in. _

_Bringel brought us some of her mother's dresses to wear while ours dried. _

_As we settled around a table in a dining room, Bringel's mother told us that Bringel's father was sick in bed in one of the other rooms. _

_"He's very sick," she said, "but we just don't have the money to provide for one of the physicians from the town to take a look at him."_

_We discussed other possibilities, and listened to her tell us about her life and home over the best meal I ever ate in my entire life. _

_There was a large warm loaf of bread, assorted smoked meats, gravy and broths to dip the bread in, wonderful northern fruit that I had never tasted before, warm milk that had come from the cows that very morning, not to mention about ten other things and a large sweet pudding for dessert. _

_Bringel's mother told us that we would be sick if we tried to ride right away after all we had eaten, and so we all went into the main room where there was a cozy fire going. _

_Aeiliel and I sat on some cushioned benches while the mother took up some sewing and Bringel sat on the ground and played with her toys. _

_I was feeling a little drowsy when I noticed a lute lying on the ground near the fire. _

_Unable to not ask about an instrument, I turned and asked the mother if she played. She smiled and said she had played since she was a child, and would I like to hear something?_

_"Very much." I said. _

_She played a soft, slow song. And she played very, very, well; in no time I was asleep on the bench. _

_I was awoken, I am not sure how much longer, by Aeiliel shaking me and telling me to wake up. _

_"Wake up, Laurwen, we have to leave immediately!"_

_"What…why?" I asked lazily, turning to the other side. _

_"Laurwen!" She practically shouted, "Wake up!" _

_When I continued to ignore her she pushed me off the bench. The hard fall to the floor did a good job of getting my attention, and I turned back to my friend angrily. _

_"What?" I said getting up. _

_"I think we have been tricked."_

_"You're too paranoid!"_

_"No, I have proof." _

_She told me she had woken up a few minutes ago, and had been hungry and wondered if she could have any leftovers from earlier. She had walked all over the house, looking for Bringel and her mother, to ask one of them for permission, but could not find either of them. The only other person at home besides us, she said, was the sick father asleep in one of the other rooms. _

_Since no one else was home, Aeiliel had decided it would be all right to have a look in the kitchen. She had been trying to find some of the leftover pudding when she had opened a drawer that she said was full of gold. _

_"So?!" I asked. _

_She opened her hand and showed what was inside to me. It was gold. But not just any gold. _

_It was the gold of Gondor. _

_"Oh no." I whispered. _

_"I know." She said. _

_We both thought the same thing, that the men had arrived here before us and had paid the mother to catch us. _

_"And they accepted the money, to pay for a doctor for their father." I whispered sadly. _

_"I wouldn't feel so sorry for them, they are probably bringing the men here right at this moment."_

_She was probably right. We looked at each other and without a word scrambled out of the house. _

_We ran away, down the pastures, still wearing the mother's clothes. Our horses were thankfully still tied near the house and so we quickly untied them and ran away. We gave Carotene, who had been sleeping on one of the horse, a fright_

_We rode away quickly, and when we came to a hill a ways away from the house, we saw, in the distance, a few torches being led toward the house, by the young girl and her mother. _

_Aeiliel turned away sharply and rode away, and I followed her slowly after a minute. _

_We both knew now that this could not go on. That something must change soon. That something was going to snap. _

_…_

I woke up now with a glowing, happy feeling, and for a long time I wasn't sure why. It was the similar to how you would feel when you are a child and wake up in the morning knowing that you were getting presents, but for a few minutes couldn't remember why; or when a relative has returned home after being gone for far too long, and their presence warms the home and the heart.

That was how it was with me now, all the time. I glowed from my head and my heart. As I said, I wasn't sure why at first, and then I realized there was only one explanation.

I was in love.

I was in love for the first, and as everyone supposes at the time it happens, and last time.

My King. How I loved to say those words. Most people called him such, so it made no difference when I said those words to him, I knew, but I meant something different when I said them. I really meant that he was my king.

Except that he wasn't, and could never be, my king.

Remembering that would always bring me down a little, darken the glow, and make my stomach feel unpleasantly heavy.

But it didn't matter.

Being here with him, in any way, was enough.

….

Coruven had returned.

And his return made the dead of winter feel even deader.

I began to feel increasingly like he was there everywhere I went, watching and judging me with his cool eyes. As if he somehow knew exactly what had passed between his father and I.

The King was busy in the winter caring for his subjects. In Gondor winter was not such a hard thing, but the North was a harsh place, I learned, and people had to work very hard and do lots of planning to ensure survival during the cold months.

I helped whenever I could, distributing food and sewing blankets for the children.

Once when I was out helping some of the other elves chop some firewood for some of the families who needed it, when the King was walking through with Carfon inspecting the progress, and grew irritated when he saw me.

"What do you think you're doing?!" He said as he strode quickly over to me, his long legs hardly making a sound.

"I'm helping chop the firewood."

"You know you aren't allowed to touch anything in the weapons vault. And that axe, which is more than half your size, is most certainly a weapon."

"No, you said I wasn't allowed in the archery practice, not the weapons vault. Don't you remember?"

He scowled. I could see he did indeed remember, and was hoping that I had been the one to forget his exact words.

I laughed. "You don't give us humans enough credit. We are smarter-and have better memories-than you seem to think."

"I think you personally have changed my entire outlook on the race of Man." He said quietly.

I looked around quickly, wondering if anyone else thought they heard a double meaning in his words, but no one else looked like they heard anything amiss.

I knew my cheeks were turning red, although the King's expression had never stopped being stoic.

"Please don't be cross, your highness." I said. "I'm only trying to help."

He glanced pointedly at the small pile of wood beside me.

It was true that I wasn't very _good _at chopping wood. I didn't have much experience or the strength required for that kind of thing.

"Listen," he said, "There is something else I would like for you to do, which is why I came to find you."

I smiled at him. "Let me guess, this secret job requires me to stay far away from any axes or arrows?"

The King smiled grimly back. "You are too clever for your own good. Now come along, don't you want to know what it is?" He gestured for me to follow him.

We walked away from the groups of elves working and back toward the palace.

"Padhrion told me he was looking for a new assistant, to help him mix herbs and nurse some of the sick and wounded. I proposed he might have you to do the job. Would you like that?"

"Indeed I would. " I told King, surprising myself with the truth. "It sounds like a place where I could make myself very useful. Why ever did you think of it?"

"It's your hands." The King said.

"My hands?" I asked.

"Yes. You are unused to being in the cold for so long everyday, and I have noticed at dinner that your hands are cracked and that they sometimes bleed from it."

I looked down at my hands.

He was right. I had noticed a few weeks ago that they were dry and damaged, and had been very embarrassed. My mother had always said that a nobleman's daughter should take care of every part of herself, being especially clean and healthy so as to set a good example for the other women in her town. I had been confused at first as to why my hands were cracking; finally an elf told me that they had seen other humans who lived in the north have cracking and bleeding hands during the cold months, and that wearing gloves was the only cure. But now my hands hurt too much for gloves.

"You are ashamed. " The King said, sounding upset.

He stopped us and turned to look at me. "You should not be. It is very admirable to have winter-scarred hands. It means you are a hard worker, even in the wintertime. But regardless I no longer wish for you to be outside all the time, because I have noticed that for the past two weeks you have made up some excuse every night to avoid playing your harp at dinner, and I assumed that it must be because your hands were paining you when you played, and of course I could not have that any longer."

When I smiled at him, he took one of my dry hands in his, gently, and kissed it.

"So you will take this duty?" He asked.

"I would be honored, my King." I said.

…

My new post brought me so much joy that I played for the King that very night, not even feeling the pain in my hands.

It was a lovely winter night; all of the stars were visible from the glass roof over the hall. Although it was very cold, a warm fire had been lit in the hall and we were all bundled up in our warmest cloaks.

Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves that evening. So far the King had laughed three times, which I believed had to be some sort of record. I could see Carotene a ways away curled up into a warm bundle sleeping by the fire, and Esteldes was stroking his orange fur while speaking to another young elleth.

Even Coruven, who I seemed to imagine spent most of his evenings at dinner scowling at me, was smiling and speaking to a elleth beside him, and paying no attention to me.

Or he wasn't, that is, until his father stood up, and held up his cup of wine toward all of his subjects.

They all grew quiet when he began to speak, and they grew even quieter when he asked me to come stand beside.

I left my harp and walked shyly back up to his table, where all my anxiety dissipated when his eyes met mine.

He took my hand and held it up in his, before turning to all of his subjects that had come to the hall for dinner that evening.

"My loyal subjects, I have for some time wanted to thank you all for your cooperation. It has ever confirmed my suspicions that I led the best group of elves in all of Middle Earth when this young woman came to our realm, sick and in danger, and you all banded together and agreed with me that we would not turn her away. And after just these few months, it has turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made. She has added to the light and beauty of this realm, which is surrounded by an ever-growing shadow of darkness, and at the same time brought some new light of her own. It is my belief-"

The King shut his mouth when there was a crash and loud murmuring began.

His eyebrows drew and he frowned, scanning the crowd. "What is this?!" He said irritably.

There had been a large group to dinner that evening, and so it was a long time until the whole crowd parted to reveal what had caused the crash and noise.

We had some visitors.

They were humans, like me, and from the dirt and wear on their clothes they looked as though they had traveled very far, and indeed they had.

There were about 10 or 15 of them altogether. The men who had chased Aeiliel and I were among them, but I hardly noticed them.

I could only notice the man who led them, who was my cousin Baldrick, and who locked eyes with me of an even greater intensity.

My cousin was about ten years older than I, and a fairly large man. He had never been particularly bright; I remembered that from our childhood. He had no love of books or learning, no gentleness or pity at all. But for every quality that he lacked he made up for in ambition and cunning. And if Baldrick put his mind to it, he could easily charm people who did not know him better. He was tall and strong, and had the same black hair that I had (a trademark of my father's side of the family), although he did not have my golden eyes. His eyes were as black as his hair and beard, as black as his shoes and his dark black horse, as dark as his heart probably was if you could cut it open and look at it.

He sneered when his eyes met mine and he growled my name out of his big mouth.

The King seemed to know who he was the second he came in, for he dropped my hand and picked up a knife sitting on the table, since swords in elven lands were not customarily brought to dinner.

"Besides the time you are going to spend in my dungeons, was there any other business you had with me or my people?" The King asked my cousin.

But Baldrick did not even seem to hear the King. He continued smirking at me. "What a chase you've led us all on, Laurwen. You sure do like to make a man work for you. But then again, you always were a lot of work."

"My brothers." I half whispered, half croaked out of my mouth.

His smile grew broader. "They are still in my custody."

"And Fiske?" I asked.

A shadow passed Baldrick's face at my older brother's name. "Safe for now, the mousy idiot. Still safe in the neighboring province, protected by all those traitors. He thinks to raise an army against me, but he will learn very soon that I know a thing or two more about warfare then he."

So Fiske was still safe at least, and planning still to take back Lebennin from Baldrick. That was maybe the only good news there would be out of all of this.

"But enough of this. You know why I'm here. Why try to put it off any longer?"

The King spoke up again. "Try to take her, and you die."

Finally my cousin's eyes slid over to the tall blond king standing beside me. "To answer your earlier question, no, I don't have any business with you or your people. I have business with something of mine. Laurwen is a citizen of Gondor and of Lebennin; therefore she is subject to my orders. Not to mention that we have been betrothed to one another since we were children. Our parents always meant for us to marry, and I am here to rightfully claim my bride."

"You liar! My parents never would have made me marry you! They never trusted you, and they were right…" The end of my small speech broke up a little from tears, as I remembered that my parents had been murdered at the hands of the man before me."

"Laurwen, my sweet cousin, would it be so bad to be married to me? Aside from a small punishment you will receive for running away, I won't hurt you. I tend to take good care of my own things."

His words were stupid, but it was the look in his eyes that was frightening. He had looked at me the same way quite often when I had lived in Gondor, and I had not known what it meant. After these precious months with the King, I finally recognized it as a look of desire, and the thought both frightened me and made me sick.

The King, who was very angry now, pushed me behind him and turned to face my cousin.

"Either way," the King said in his clear voice, "it won't matter much if she wanted to marry you are not, although I am quite sure she would rather not. You won't have the chance. You can surrender now and be escorted to the dungeons, or you can not surrender and face me yourself, and I will kill you. Either way works."

Baldrick laughed. "As fun as both of those options sound, I am afraid I must decline them both. Although I do sympathize with your desire to keep so beautiful a prize here in Mirkwood all to yourself, I have the full support of the steward of Gondor, who has assured me if anything happens to me in Mirkwood, the entire armies of the West will descend upon your forest and your people."

He let that sink in to the quiet crowd before continuing.

"Ultimately, the choice does lie with Laurwen." He turned back to me. "Your younger brothers are safe, so long as you agree to come back with me and marry me. I need you still to make my governorship secure. Our alliance will bring peace, Laurwen. Can you not see that? If you do not, the boys will die."

He waited for a moment to see if I would say something. I would not, and I could not, so he said, "We will be gathered outside the forest, across the frozen river. I think it'll take about three days for us to prepare for the return journey, so we will be there until then. Return to me before then, or when I return to Gondor your brothers will die."

And with that he strode out of the hall on his muddy boots, and his men followed him out.

….

There wasn't much of a party after that; everyone's moods were pretty well soured.

My friends, Esteldes, Padhrion, Hatholben, Galessel, to name a few, all gave me kind words and warm but sympathetic hugs. They didn't smother me, thankfully, because I think they understood I could not have taken it.

The King himself walked me back to my room, with one arm around me, supporting me. He must have thought I might faint, for I could see no other reason why he would be holding on to me so tight.

We said nothing until he brought me to my door.

He took my hands in his tightly, and looked at me with grave eyes.

"Laurwen, you must-you must!-understand, that if you went back to your cousin, your brothers would be killed anyway."

I didn't say anything. He was still so angry, I could tell, and I was frightened of him as well.

"Please Laurwen, tell me you understand that this changes nothing. That even if you returned to _him_, and married _him_, he would just kill your brothers anyway. It would be pointless. It would be suicide. Tell me that you understand that."

I raised my golden eyes up to his pale blue ones.

"I understand."

"Do you mean it? Do you promise?"

"I understand." The tone of my voice could leave no doubt that I was telling the truth. He breathed a sigh of relief, and kissed my hands, first the left, and then the right, before hurrying away.

I walked into my room like I was wandering in a dream. Everything was foggy and unclear.

I gathered some things up in a daze, my warm cloak, but not the golden one that the King had given me. I put on my riding gloves, my tall sturdy books, and re-braided my hair into its tight rope.

I started to take a knife that had been lying in one of my drawers, and then thought differently about it. What was the point?

On my bed Carotene was restlessly pacing. He seemed to know that we were leaving. He didn't seem happy about it, but anxious. I patted him once or twice before going to the window, undoing the latch, and stepping out of it. After Carotene came through I closed it back.

_I understand_, I whispered to a King who was not there, _but it doesn't change anything_.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit, everything belongs to Tolkien and this story is not for profit.**

**Chapter 12**

_It didn't end very different from how it had began. When Aeiliel and I lost each other, I was still in danger, still being followed, and alone once again. _

_There were wild lands in the North, Aeiliel said, where we could go and where we would never be followed. There were places in the far West, I said, where we could go and live in peace. We could sail away and leave this wretched world altogether. We disagreed, as we always did, about what to do and where to go, but I actually would have gone anywhere she decided, and I let her lead the way. It was sad but true that I had come to understand and love her more than I had ever loved even my real family, which made me feel guilty sometimes. But there is no guarantee that the people to whom you are related will be the dearest to you in the world, no more than the girl living next to you will be your best friend, or that the rich handsome prince will actually be your one true love. Some things just are, and are not. It was completely random chance that Aeiliel and I would meet one another and be best and closest friends. It was a very rare thing, the kind of instant compatibleness with another person that I would only experience one more time in my life. _

_I'm not sure if we were actually traveling in a direction. We weren't traveling, say, north on horseback. We were traveling away from our chasers and on exhaustion and desperation. _

_I've already described how sick, how tired, how extremely ill we were. Well, just know now that were doubly so than we had ever been, and I will say no more about it. _

_We lasted longer than the horses. My horse collapsed one day as we were riding and wouldn't get back up. I sat down and cried and cried over his bony body, but Aeiliel pulled me along and we both got up on her horse and continued with Carotene trotting along. _

_We were going much slower now, with the two of us on the same tired horse. When the men were within sight behind us on the horizon, we galloped faster. _

_Faster and faster we went. They were catching up I could see. They stopped for a moment, I'm not sure why. But taking this opportunity so did we. I caught my breath and Aeiliel walked over to a tree and tore off a smooth branch. I didn't understand at first what she was doing. We quickly re-saddled and now were back riding with a glorious sunset to our left. The sky was all red and purple, giving everything an eerie glow. I could see clouds moving in from the other side and stars starting to peak out in-between them. I was so dizzy, so sick, so tired; Aeiliel must have been cursing for minutes before I even noticed. I was holding onto her waist and riding behind her, when I turned and say the men only a few hundred yards behind. _

_Aeiliel took the branch and started whacking the horse with it. She beat and beat him until he went faster than the men behind us. I told her to stop but she didn't listen. We regained some ground, but after a while her horse collapsed just like mine did. At the moment I hated her for that. Stumbling and crazy we ran on foot from there, until it started storming. It was the storm, I think, that saved us._

_Wherever we were must have been an area frequent to flooding, but even so I am quite sure the storm that night was particularly bad. _

_Aeiliel and I had hid in some shrubbery on a riverbank, crouching down in the mud while we heard the men speaking to one another and their horses snorting. _

_We couldn't see anything aside from the occasional flash of lightning, which would briefly illuminate our surroundings, and apparently the men couldn't either. Our tracks had also already washed away. They must have known we were nearby, but they couldn't find us either. After a few minutes their voices faded away until only the crashing of thunder and pounding of rain was all we could hear. _

_We were both soaked to the skin; Carotene was bundled up in my arms and shivering. I tried to shield him from the water but he was as wet as we were. I was trying to wring out his fur a little, and not having much luck, when Aeiliel tugged on my sleeve and pointed out the river water rising above the bank. _

_I ignored her at first, but later the water began to rise so swiftly I knew we would have to find somewhere else to hide or the river could carry us away. _

_Not speaking, we climbed a nearby tree and huddled on the top branches over the water. _

_"So I suppose you're mad at me." She said after a minute. _

_"I'm not mad." I said back over the rain. _

_She stared at me disgustedly. She always looked that way when she thought someone was lying to her._

_"I'm not mad," I said, meaning it this time, "I'm just unhappy."_

_Our dresses were clinging to our skin and the rain felt like tiny knives blowing against our faces. _

_Carotene sneezed. _

_"I know you are. And I'm sorry." She sounded strange; an odd look came over her face. I wondered if she were crying, but under the circumstances it was impossible to tell._

_"I just wish I had surrendered to Baldrick after all, and not put you through all of this." I said. _

_"Don't ever say that." She answered. _

_"Why not? None of these things were your problems. Your father made the mistake of telling you to come and help me, and now you may never even see your family again."_

_"And you might not either. But you're my family now. And your problems are my problems. I know you may find it hard to believe," a bolt of lightning struck as if to emphasize her point, "but I am happy to be here now with you."_

_"I know you are. What do you think will happen to us?"_

_She thought for a moment. "I-"_

_But I never heard what Aeiliel was thinking, because the branch she was sitting broke under her weight and sent her splashing into the river below. _

_Ever levelheaded, she didn't even scream like I would have, which might have alerted the men. _

_I looked in vain for her. Leaning over my branch I stared over the river. I heard her saying my name. I knew she had the branch with her to hold, so she wouldn't drown. But I could never really have been sure. _

_….._

King Thranduil didn't sleep that night, so he got up the moment they knocked on his door.

He knew what the guard was going to say was before the guard even told him.

"When?" The King demanded.

"We don't know, Sir. Her handmaid, Galessel, went to check on her because she was worried and found her room empty. "

Galessel was standing behind the guard crying.

The King looked toward the candles in his chamber that were used to tell the time. It was the middle of the night. She couldn't have gone very far yet.

"Sir, I'll alert all of the guard, and the young hunters as well. "

The King, putting on his boots, did not even hear him.

"My King?"

"Yes, do that. They can follow after me, since they won't be quick enough to come with me."

"Your highness, surely you can't mean to –"

The King silenced the guard with one look. By then he had his long winter cloak on and was marching to the stables.

His stag was already outside, waiting for him, somewhat miraculously.

"Follow quickly," The King called over his shoulder as he rode away.

…

I ran so quickly now, and I realized what rest and being regularly well fed did to ones energy.

Carotene and I seemed to fly though the forest. We slipped a few times over the little patches of snow, but luckily didn't run into any spiders or any of the other monsters that I knew inhabited Mirkwood.

And yet, every step I took hurt me, physically and mentally, like a thousand poisonous bites, and I knew it was because every step I took carried me away from the one that I loved and towards another who would do me and my family harm.

I tried not to even think about what would happen to me when I arrived at Baldrick's camp, and yet it was all I could think about. Horrible thoughts and images entered my mind.

But still I ran, with Carotene following closely at my heels.

Suddenly, far behind me, I cold hear a noise, as I was so used to hearing back when Aeiliel and I used to ride and were being chased.

I knew it couldn't be my enemies this time, but the elves that I loved so much that were coming to bring me back.

I ran even faster through the woods. The trees flew past me along with the rest of the landscape.

And then, suddenly, there was no more forest.

I was out in the chilly open air, with only a river far in front of me, and beyond it, very far into the distance, I could see the twinkling lights of my cousins camp.

I came, more slowly now, towards the river, wandering how I was going to get across. Would my cousin have someone waiting to ferry me across?

But as I came closer, I saw that it would not be necessary, because the river was frozen solid.

It was wide and long and it would take me some time to cross, so I hesitantly put my first step out.

It seemed safe enough, so I took another step. And another. I kept walking across the frozen surface, but about ten steps in I heard a small sound and saw a tiny little crack in the surface. It was barely visible, but I knew it could quickly widen if I wasn't careful, and I was too far across to come back now.

I shuffled along, very slowly now, not picking up my feet.

I dragged my feet across carefully, but stopped when I heard someone call my name.

"Lady of Gondor!" I heard someone call from the other side of the river.

There were three men, grimy and in black. I knew they worked for my cousin. I couldn't see the expression on their faces, but I knew that they were probably sneering.

For a moment I lost heart. It was one thing to go over to my cousin in theory, but seeing these evil men now frightened me. I took a few steps back. I did not want to go to my cousin with them. I could not approach them at all.

Seeing me take a few steps back, they started forward, worried I think that I would run back.

They took some steps toward the water, and soon like me, were walking over its frozen surface.

Unlike me, they were not being careful at all. Their heavy bodies were taking no care not to crack the ice.

I swallowed, took a deep breath, and went out to meet them.

As we approached one another one of them stepped forward and grabbed me with both arms. He lifted me up, looking at me, and the others all laughed.

I could see, for the first time since those few years ago, their faces up close.

They were just as cruel as I had imagined them in my nightmares. Their dirty faces, and their cold eyes all laughed at me.

I struggled but the leader would not let me go. "So this is what put us through all that trouble for so long?"

"I don't blame Baldrick, she is quite beautiful up close, now that she's got some skin on her bones." Another one said, and came up behind me and put his mouth on my neck.

I cried out in anger. They all laughed again but the leader scowled. "This is the one that killed Ristoff, isn't it?"

His grip tightened on my arm. We might need to pay her back for that before we return her to her cousin. He took out his knife.

"Oh, I think her brothers all paid enough for that crime."

I turned and stared at the one who had just said that in horror.

He looked uncomfortable for a moment; he knew he had said something he shouldn't have.

My little brothers were already dead. It was all a lie.

I yanked my arms out of his grip.

I would not die for nothing.

I took my knife out and quickly stabbed the one holding me. He fell back, but my knife was still in his stomach.

I turned to run but one of the men grabbed me while the other went to check on the leader who had fell to the ground.

Using all of my strength I pushed him away and stepped back.

He came back toward me, sword drawn this time, but out of seemingly nowhere, an arrow shot him in the arm and stopped him.

He stumbled for a few moments, but he was determined and came toward me again. I shoved him away and this time he fell down next to the other two.

The man who was not wounded I saw try to get up, but at that point it was too late. The weight of two of the men smashing down was too much for the river, and a mighty _crack_ and _whoosh_ broke the ice through and sent us all falling, falling into the freezing waters beneath.

What felt like a thousand pounds of ice was weighing down on me. And not just on me, but in me. Ice water was in my eyes and lungs and in my blood. The awful cold consumed everything. I could not swim through it or walk on it or breath it in; it was unconquerable.

All of my warm winter clothes, my fir cape and gloves were now dragging me down, heavy with water as they were. I'm not sure how I did it, but through all of the pain and the panic, I splashed my arms enough to bob up to the surface to take a quick breath before I sank back down.

Again I tried splashing my hands and trying to reach back up to draw another breath. My arms were so tired now and my head was all foggy. I made it up for another breath and dared try to open my eyes; when I did, everything I saw was so foggy and unclear, and it pained my eyes terribly. I looked frantically for the edge of the ice, somewhere where I could climb back out of the freezing water and onto land, but as I was searching something dragged me back down.

It was a human arm, the last man the unwounded one, was dragging me down with him, or rather, using me to push himself up, I clawed and tried to tear at him through the water but all of his weight was pushing me down. I needed to breathe. I needed to breathe. I pushed to go away but he went out and grabbed me once. Again.

In the water I opened my eyes, trying to find an escape, but nothing I saw made sense. Not the red water mixing with the clear, or the man's dead eyes staring back at me. So I closed my eyes back and drifted off.

…..

I woke up coughing. I think I was coughing before I was even awake. My lungs seemed to be filled with more water than air, and the freezing water stung them horribly. I coughed and coughed and soon I was retching up last night's dinner.

I was on a snowy surface, and not the icy surface of the river, which I could see in the background.

Someone said something to me, I thought, but I wasn't sure.

When I was finally breathing again, my body could concentrate more on how cold it was.

I though I might die of the cold. Every bit of me was soaking wet with it.

I looked up and saw the King standing over me.

He was breathing nearly as heavy as I was and his sword was drawn and bloody. His arm also was wet, and I understood what he must have done for me, aside from just pulling me out of the water.

He didn't say anything, and I was not sure what to make of his expression, which was both tortured and angry at once. Or at least I thought it was.

He came over and took off my soaking wet cape. With a few weak sputterings I started to protest when he gave me his own cloak, but the expression on his face silenced me. Gently grasping my arms he helped me up. He took off his own big, dry cloak and wrapped me up in it like a child. A ways a way was his stag, and he lifted me gently up onto him. He also lifted up a shivering bundle and put it into my arms, which I realized was Carotene, who I had not realized had fallen into the water with me and the rest of my cousin's men. He also took of my boots and the wool over my feet which were now soaking and freezing my feet.

He put his gloved hands over them and rubbed them together while blowing on them. It was a few minutes until I could feel anything in them, and when I could he looked at me and I nodded.

His sword sheathed now, he came up on the stag behind me and drew me close to him while we rode away.

During the entire trip back I could think of nothing to say.

I felt awful, putting him through all of this trouble, knowing that he was right after all. But I was also a little angry at him, for thinking that I could just condemn my brothers like that. But as angry as I was, I was every bit grateful. And every bit in love as I had been.

So I shivered silently until we came back to his halls. He said nothing the entire time, and I had no idea what he must have been thinking. He seemed to be thinking very intensely, and whatever his feelings were at the moment, which I did not know, they appeared to be very strong.

When we arrived, and several elves came to greet us, he finally spoke.

He told a young elleth to alert the guards who were still searching that I was safe, and as he lifted me down and set me shakily on the ground, he called over my maid Galessel, who had been waiting with some of the other elves.

He whispered something in her ear. It took a few moments, and her expression went through a variety of changes before settling. She nodded and helped me walk back to my chambers. I turned to look back at the King-I realized I had not even told him thank you-but he was walking away swiftly, and did not look back at me.

We came back to my chambers. Galessel and another maid helped me take the soaking wet clothes which were sticking to my skin off of my body and helped me into a warm tub.

The hot water felt absolutely delightful, but it was quite a while before I truly felt warm again. They both worked hard scrubbing the dirt off me and afterwards brought me before a big fire that was burning in my fireplace.

Galessel combed my hair out until it was dry and shining. It had grown even longer since I had come here, and I had not even realized it. I went to tie it back into its usual braid, but this time she stopped me.

She and the other maid took away my towel and slipped a white, intricate nightgown over my head. They tied it for me while they also slipped on a necklace around my neck and a bejeweled headpiece over my head.

I was confused, not sure I should be wearing these jewels to sleep, and not sure why they would want me to anyway, when they asked me to follow them.

….

I was just as confused when we entered the room where the King was standing.

We appeared to be in the highest room in the entire palace, which was made entirely of glass. The snow and the stars were all visible, since the room gave an entire view of the outside, but the glass kept the room warm and secure.

The King nodded to Galessel and the other maid, and they nodded and left.

Then it was just me, the King, and Carfon, who was standing at the end of the room.

The King came over to me and took my hands. His grave expression did not change as he met my eyes.

He led me over to Carfon, and as he settled us both in front of him, never letting go of my hands, I finally understood what this was.

With this understanding I also realized that the "nightgown" was no "nightgown" at all; but a white dress in the elven style. An elven wedding dress.

I started, not sure what to do, but it soon became clear.

I repeated after Carfon, and so did the King.

At the end Carfon left silently, and it was just the King and I.

I was suddenly shy and not sure where to look.

"My King, I-"

He took my hand firmly, and slipped a diamond ring onto my finger.

"Call me Thranduil now."

He took my arms in his, and leaned down to kiss me chastely on the mouth.

He led us out of the room, and I turned my head away so he could not see me cry tears of joy; and tears of pain, because he was not as happy as I.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit, everything belongs to Tolkien, and this story is not for profit. **

**Author's Note: Thank you everybody who favorited and followed since the last chapter. Your support is appreciated very much! Special thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter as well! Your words warm my heart!**

**Chapter 13**

My wedding happened very late at night.

Afterwards, as I took my husband's arm, and followed him away, it occurred to me that there might not be many more hours of darkness left.

Ever since I had come to love the king, every now and then thoughts would enter my head that would make me blush, and then I would hurriedly chase the thought away because after all, it was embarrassing and unlikely to ever happen, so why dwell on it if I didn't want to? But those same thoughts I had embarrassedly had over the last past months were no longer far off dreams and wishes. They were suddenly very realistic realties that might take place in the near future.

As if reading my mind, the king, Thranduil now, said suddenly, "I'll have your things moved into my chamber tomorrow. You can sleep in your chamber tonight still, if you want. I know you are tired. You might be more…comfortable there."

How could I say yes? Suddenly completely and irrationally nervous, I did wish for one more night to spend by myself. And he was right, I was exhausted. Near death experiences will do that to you. But there was only one right answer to this question. Of course he wouldn't mind if I wanted to be alone tonight. But no one should say they want to be alone on their wedding night. Even if he understood, it would still probably upset him. I never wanted to upset him again for as long as I lived. I was married to the man that I loved; I would not let myself spend my wedding night alone because of nerves or silly fears.

"No… I don't mind." I said quietly. Even my small voice seemed to echo in the empty halls. I had never been this way before. The King's chambers were located far away from mine, towards the upper levels of the palace. I wondered if he ever spent much time in his chambers; it seemed to me that it would take forever for him to go up and down these steps all day. I guess he didn't. He was so busy he probably never had time to himself.

There were guards outside his chamber. They didn't say anything when I followed him in. I wandered if they knew already, or if, like me, nothing their king did surprised them.

We came inside and we awkwardly stood in silence for a moment. He sighed, and looked down at me.

" I think that I will soak for a bit, before bed. If you want, you can go ahead and go to…bed. If you want."

Quite audibly clearing my throat, I tried to say lightly, "You have a bathing room here?"

"Oh, yes. There's a warm spring past that door and then two doors to the left. It's why I chose this place to build my chambers…that and the view from the balcony. I like to stand out there some mornings and enjoy the view… I'll show you sometime. It is very beautiful."

"I would like that."

"Well, I am going now." He reached down and gave me a chaste kiss on the hand.

He turned and left his new wife standing alone in his room. I wandered back and forth, not sure what I was supposed to do. At moments like this I wished I had a sister or some female friend that I had gleaned information from beforehand. Should I take my clothes off and get into bed? Should I get into bed with my clothes still on? Come to think of it, I was in my wedding dress, surely I shouldn't wear it to bed. Should I stand waiting here for him to come back? Maybe he would want to take it off himself. Maybe he wouldn't want to take it off at all. Maybe he would want me to be asleep when he came back. No, surely he wouldn't want that. It occurred to me that what he had done was quite rash, and really not sensible at all. I was a homeless human girl, wanted and banished. I was a lot of trouble, more trouble than I was worth really. Even among his subjects who loved him, they could not fail to be skeptical at the very least about what he had done. He was old and widowed, and I was so young.

He wouldn't have done such a pointless thing, unless he had some strong reasons to do so, or at least some strong feelings.

Surely he wanted me. He must.

I carefully took off my wedding dress and draped it along a small table in the corner. My slippers went too, and also my bejeweled headpiece. I took off everything until I was as naked as I had been the day I was born.

Following his directions, I opened the doors until I came to out into the room he spoke of. It seemed to be entirely made of smooth stone and rock, like an indoor cave, only there was a heavy stream of water coming out from the stones. The waterfall created a pool below, where the King was wetting his hair.

He seemed so relaxed, more so than I had seen him before. The steam rising up from the water left me no doubt that it was a very relaxing pool.

Even though he must have heard me come in, he didn't look up until I stepped toward the edge of the water. There was no shallow end that I could see, so it appeared that I would just have to sink right into the deep end.

I stepped right on the edge, trying to find a way to enter gracefully, but the stony ground was slippery and I tripped and fell right in.

I might have fallen and splashed, or hit my head on the ground behind, but as I came down the King quickly reached out and caught me around the waist so that I wouldn't fall.

He didn't let go of my waist, not even when I was safely in the water with him. He brought me closer to him, until he had wrapped both his arms around my smaller frame, and my girlish chest was pressed against his own broad one.

My face was hot now, and I knew it wasn't just from the steamy water. It felt so strange, my bare skin meeting his.

He was so tall he could stand up completely in the water. Timidly I wrapped first one leg around his waist, and then the other, until he was holding me completely.

He leaned down to kiss me, and I leaned up at the same time, but a little too quickly, because I bumped my nose hard against his.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, unable to meet his eyes from my embarrassment, "I haven't done this before."

"Don't worry," he whispered, reaching down again to kiss me, but this time cradling my head in his hands, "I have."

Then, slowly, painfully, magically, he brought me down to him until our bodies truly met.

…..

He made love about like I would have expected, calmly, strongly, and mostly quietly. None of the wild, loud frenzy that some other women had spoken of their own husbands doing.

But he was not impassionate, quite the contrary. He brought the same quiet, slow burning intensity that he had for everything into bed with him. And it made the whole experience very intense and almost overwhelming.

The first night, he put his arms around me afterwards, when we lay in his large bed, but he did so strangely and somewhat coldly. In fact, other than the first night, it was not usual for him to ever hold me in bed, whether or not we had slept together.

I didn't mind though. I was ecstatic to be lying next to him at night, knowing that I was his wife, and could act as if I was his beloved like he was mine. If he ever fell asleep before me, I would gently, so as not to wake him, stroke his face softly with my fingers, or briefly cover his hand with mine, or even his broad naked chest.

But that first night he held me. I couldn't really enjoy it though because I fell asleep fairly quickly that night. I was tired from running through the woods, almost drowning, and not to mention learning the secrets of the marriage bed. I was also in quite a bit of pain.

He was gone when I woke up.

I didn't, for a moment, know what to do. My wedding dress was still on the chair where I had left it, but I could scarcely put that back on. I decided to go outside to the balcony he had described and try to see from the sun what time it was.

I wrapped the sheet around myself and wandered out to the doors barefoot.

Thankfully, he was there outside leaning against the rails and starting at the winter sky.

I tried to lessen the ecstatic hysterical smile that I felt like giving, and instead smiled shyly at him as I came outside.

He returned my smile and beckoned me closer.

I couldn't suppress a shiver. My sheet-our sheet- was not doing much to keep me warm in the frigid winter air, especially to my bony shoulders that were poking out. And it was also embarrassing to see how easily what the cold was doing to my body show through the sheet.

He pulled me into his long morning coat so that we were both bundled in it together.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked.

"I did. " I replied.

We both were silent for a moment until I said, "This is a spectacular view."

I couldn't see his facial expression, but I wondered if he were smiling. "I thought you might like it." He said quietly.

I cleared my throat and summoned up the courage to ask him what I was supposed to do now.

"Whatever you like. Whatever you were doing before. You're my queen now. If you like, you can come to council meetings with me sometimes, or help me attend to my other duties, if you wish.

Pondering over that for a moment I wondered what I did want to do now. I wanted to reply that I wanted to be his wife, and be by his side all the time, every moment, until he got sick of me. But I wasn't sure he would like it, so instead I said that for a while I would rather do what I had always done. I didn't add this, but I thought that I was so young to be ruling. I would wait until I was a little older and had more knowledge and experience before I presumed to lead others.

"Of course. Inform me if you change your mind. You can follow me around sometimes and watch whenever you wish, however."

I thanked him, and he wrapped his arms a little tighter around me. I thought, not for the first time, how beautiful his arms were, and how big and powerful they were, yet how gentle they could be when they were holding me. An overwhelming urge to look at his face overcame me, and I turned in his arms to look up his tall body to his face.

He was so beautiful; I could scarcely believe that he was my husband, that I was his wife. That he belonged to me, and I to him.

"What is it?" He asked, probably sensing some of my awe in my expression.

"I.. well…um.. my King…"

"Thranduil." He said, squeezing me for emphasis.

"Thranduil. I was wondering…about… some clothes?" Even after all of this, it was still difficult for me to tell him what I was thinking.

He smiled. "I'll have someone bring your clothes to this room, don't worry. But in the meantime, while you don't have any…" He slowly pulled the sheet away from my body, until it was pooled around my feet at the floor, and when he lifted me up into his arms I didn't even notice how cold I was before he brought me back inside our room and laid me down on his bed.

…..

Galessel brought me my clothes later.

It felt strange, to think that I was now a married woman and a queen, but I would still be dressing the same way and doing the same things. It was nice, I remember thinking.

Unfortunately a few days later I opened the wardrobe that had been brought into the King's chambers for my use and found most of my old clothes replaced with new, even grander clothes. At least they were still sewn in the human style; it made me feel more like myself. My wedding dress was the only bit of elven clothing that I owned.

To my relief, most people seemed extremely happy to see me married to the King. Friends that I did not know very well commented on how smart and brave I was, and how they knew I would be a good queen for the King. Closer friends whispered to me that the King had seemed so much happier ever since I had came to Mirkwood and how they were delighted that he had married me and that now he would be happy all the time.

Of course, I knew even as I had said the words "I do" that there would be one person who would not be thrilled about my marriage to the king.

If I had gone my entire life and never had to see Coruven again with the knowledge that he knew I had married his father, I would have been a blissful woman.

Unfortunately for me it was not to be.

After a morning tending to some wounded rangers with Padhrion, and then eating lunch with the king (now that I was queen we ate more meals together), I went in to practice my harp for an hour or so.

When I brought a candle into the room, I set it down and moved the curtains aside to let light into the room. I almost screamed when I did; Coruven was sitting in one of my chairs, with his long legs crossed. He was looking at something in his hands, but he was still sitting in one of the more shaded areas of the room and I couldn't see what it was.

"Hello, Coruven. It's nice to see you." I said politely. I figured that now was as good a time as ever to try to turn over a new leaf and get on better terms with him. It would be easier for us both this way, and most important to me, it would be easier on Thranduil.

He didn't say anything for a moment. He looked too angry to speak. I decided that maybe I should wait for him to speak, and then I wished I hadn't.

He got up, put whatever he was holding down on the ground next to him and came over to me.

He picked up my left hand in his cold grip. He was tall, like his father, but very slim, like his mother must have been.

"I see you're a married woman now." He said, fingering my wedding ring with his thumb.

"Yes." I said. I was far too scared to pull my hand away like I wanted to do.

He snorted. "Oh yes, you're married, but you are not his wife. My mother was his wife, and elves only marry once, as you are probably aware. He may have thought he married you, but you are not his wife. Do you understand?" He hissed, looking down into my face.

"Coruven, I'm not trying to replace your mother-" I started, but he struck me with his other hand, the one that wasn't holding mine. Then he grabbed both of my shoulders and shook me angrily.

"Don't you ever speak of my mother ever again. Replace my mother? Ha. You stupid, weak, human girl. You aren't even a hundredth of my own age. Of course you could never replace her. You'll marry him, he'll enjoy you for a little while, and then, oh, maybe a hundred years or so, you'll die. And he will forget all about you. He'll forget that you even existed, like he always does. No, you could never replace her. You'll never really be a wife, or a mother. And you'll never be a queen. Now, tell me you understand so I can let you go."

"I understand. " I whispered.

He let me go and strode out of the room. For a while I was too panicked and upset to do anything, so I just sat in silence, huddled on the floor.

Hours passed and the shadows in the room moved with the sun and with the time of day.

The light of the window hit the spot where he had put down the item that he had been holding.

It was a knife.

…..

When Coruven came into his father's personal study, it was several minutes before he even noticed he was there. It was apparent the King was deep in thought. About what, his son did not know-the possibilities were almost unlimited.

"Father." Coruven said.

Thranduil looked up sharply. "Coruven. It is nice to see you." He seemed to have not noticed that his son, who unlike Legolas almost never called him father but always the king, was holding a small pack.

"Thank you, father."

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, I don't think so. But I want you to know that I'm off."

His father smiled. "Again? You've just returned."

"I know, but I need to go."

"Is something wrong? I mean, you almost never tell me when you go. I've never made you tell me when you leave."

"I know. I thank you for that. But…I've told you this time because…I'll be gone longer than usual."

"How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know."

"I see… is there some particular reason?"

"I-I just must. I don't know where yet. Don't worry about me."

Thranduil got out of his chair and went over to his son. "I won't. I know you can take care of yourself." He put his hand briefly on his younger son's shoulder before it was shaken off.

"Goodbye father."

Thranduil stood for a long time looking back after his son had left.

….

That night, my husband was very silent and calm. I think something was bothering him, but I was scarcely in the mood to discuss it with him; I was so shaken from my experience with his son earlier in the day.

A week later, however, after we lay in bed together after making love, he tossed and turned more than usual. I knew he wasn't asleep, so I asked him if something was wrong. He denied that anything was wrong for a long while, but finally he told me that Coruven had left Mirkwood.

I sat up in bed abruptly. This was such fantastic news as I could have scarcely hoped for.

He misread my shock for horror and assured me that his son was all right but had chosen to leave for some unspecified reason.

"And you're worried about him?" I asked Thranduil.

"I am. He's so...strange. Strange in that he is just so...unhappy. He's always been so unhappy. I'm not sure what to do about it. I feel like it's my fault; that there's something that I should have done differently. He's just not like other elves."

"Like his father." I said, laying a hand gently on his cheek..

He took my hand and kissed it, but he still had that worried look in his eyes.

"My King, you haven't done anything wrong. Trust me, some people are just…unhappy. And sensitive. They need to be alone sometimes. Their emotions can cloud their thoughts and they need time to figure out what they want and how to make things right."

"You wouldn't understand; you don't have children."

His words made me suddenly grind my teeth together. "No, I don't have children. I practically am one, remember? I know a lot more about what Coruven is thinking than you do."

With that I turned to the other side of the large bed.

There was silence for a moment, then I heard him say, "I wonder if it was the death of his mother. But, on the other hand, he and Legolas are almost the same age and Legolas seems unaffected. He's a fine boy, not prone to brooding like his brother."

I was still angry, but I couldn't help asking, "What is your other son like?" I was very curious, he had not told me very much about this Legolas, and I had spent quite a bit of time lately thinking about him; hoping, praying, that he was nothing like Coruven.

"He's a fine warrior. Very brave. Very…spirited."

"He sounds like you." I said into the pillow.

"He's kinder than I am."

"Maybe I wed the wrong one." I said smiling.

The king huffed and pulled me away from that end of the bed. He kissed me all over until I admitted I was teasing and then we took each other for the second time that night.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit, everything belongs to Tolkien, and this story is not for profit.**

**Authors Note: I'm sorry about the delay! I want to thank everyone who is still reading this story, as well as those who have recently favorited/followed it. I especially want to thank everyone who has reviewed the story. If it weren't for you guys, this update would have probably been even longer in coming!:)**

**Chapter 14**

For a while, a good long while, life was all right. Better than all right. It was fantastic. Better than I could ever have hoped for.

And how strange it was to think, that all my life, since the day I was born, my father had planned for the day when I would be married. He had been a good man, and a kind leader. A lord both wealthy and respected. As such, he had sought a future husband for me in all of the noblest families in the realms of men. The steward of Gondor's son had been considered for me once, as well as the King of Rohan himself. My father had been very eager to see me as a Queen. When I asked him why, he said it was because anything less wouldn't be good enough for me. Funny to think now, I was queen after all. Not the way my father had imagined, but a Queen I was. An elf-Queen but not an elf. _Father would still be happy_, I thought.

And yet, those bright, happy, early days did not last too long. The splendor of being married to King Thranduil, the glory of not having Coruven around any more, didn't exactly wear off, but other things came to my mind that affected me.

It started because all too soon I realized how truly unprepared and unqualified I was to be the queen. I had always known, of course, that I was too young and too different to be a queen over these old and wise woodland people, but one day near the end of winter it was embarrassingly clear.

For a visit came the Lord Elrond. His name was not unknown to me when I had lived in the South of Gondor, for he was well known even among the land of men, but here in the Woodland realm he was more than just a myth, he was an idol, a legend even. Almost any Silvan elf that I spoke with told me with a shine in their eye that Lord Elrond was a great lord indeed; that his greatness was even equal to the Kings of old.

On the other hand, even the Sindar elves at court told me that Elrond was very wise, although they said so in a much calmer and collected manner. When I asked my husband what he thought of this Elrond, he acknowledged that he was both wise and brave. Thranduil had told me once that there were only two qualities that truly mattered in a ruler: bravery on the battlefield and wisdom off the battlefield. I wasn't sure I completely agreed with him, but I knew when he attributed both of these qualities to the Lord of Rivendell that he must have great respect for this man. But even as he said it, there was a glint of something in his eye as he spoke of Elrond that I did not recognize. One elf, Ellis, plainly told that Elrond was a greater man than even our King. He was the only elf to tell me so, and it reminded me how much I admired Ellis for his frankness and honesty. And so if I were to take Ellis at his word, which I always did, then I could attribute this glint in Thranduil's eye to jealousy. Never having seen him jealous before, I now somewhat looked forward to lord Elrond's visit.

We received Elrond and his followers in King Thranduil's throne room.

The long suspended walkway was lined with elves on either side, bowing as Lord Elrond and his retinue made their way up to the dais where King Thranduil was standing below his throne waiting. Standing next to him-unhappily-was me.

"Must I really be next to you when Lord Elrond arrives?" I had asked earlier that morning, as Galessel was dressing me for Elrond's arrival.

"Yes, you really must." As he spoke he was circling around, making sure I was presentable. Unlike most of the men I had grown up around, my husband took a significant interest in the clothes I wore, and today was no exception. He wanted to be sure that I looked every part the queen. Finally he jerked his chin at Galessel, motioning that my silver gown encrusted with diamonds was satisfactory, and also that it was time for her to leave. She had bowed, and then left me alone with my husband.

He wore a silver tunic and cloak to match my dress, but in my opinion all the matching outfits did was to accentuate how different we were. Tall and straight, white haired and angular he was. Besides the differences of my shortness, golden eyes, black curly hair and curves, there was something else that made us a mismatched couple besides even our looks. Being an elf, an old elf, my husband simply put off an aura of grace and ethereality that I could never hope to have. I was painstakingly young and human. No matter how closely we were dressed, nothing would change that. I didn't speak my thoughts to my husband. We were both careful never to discuss the differences between us, but he must have sensed something bothering me, because in a gesture of affection (which he usually only bestowed upon me now late at night when we were in bed together) he gently put his hands on my shoulders and leaned down and pressed his lips to my forehead. I closed my eyes, savoring the moment. I wanted to jump into his arms and kiss his lips, but I knew that was scarcely his way.

"Laurwen."

I opened my eyes, staring up at him from under my lashes.

"There is nothing to fear. Lord Elrond will not be unkind to you. It is not in his nature."

Although I did not feel very relived on the inside, I grinned, trying to set his mind at ease. "I suppose that is true. I believe that I have married the rudest elf."

Unsurprisingly, he smirked. He knew very well that he was a gruffer and colder elf than most.

"Come along." He said, taking my arm.

And so there we were then, standing in front of his throne side by side. He kept my arm tucked into his, and I wondered if it was in a defensive way. The elves of Rivendell would scarcely understand the King marrying a human girl. It could have been for his own sake. I would probably never know.

Because the Lord Elrond was the guest, my husband bowed first.

"Lord Elrond."

"King Thranduil." Elrond very gravely returned his bow. Then stepping aside, he extended his arm behind him, and two young elves came forward. "May I introduce my sons, Elladan and Elrohir."

The two young elves were clearly twins. I had never seen two people who looked more alike in my entire life. They had their father's dark hair and his grey eyes, but if seeing a human girl at Thranduil's side wearing a woodland crown confounded their father, I couldn't tell. The twins on the other hand made no attempt to disguise their curiosity, and one of them even winked at me unabashedly.

"And may I present my wife, Laurwen of Lebennin, and now Laurwen Queen of Mirkwood." Thranduil said, pushing me forward a little.

"An honor." I whispered, trying to curtsey as gracefully as possible.

Elrond stepped forward and grasped my hand, pressing a kiss lightly to it. "The pleasure is mine, your highness." His sons and the rest of his retinue followed suit, and soon after the party from Rivendell retired to bathe and rest before dinner.

….

"That wasn't so bad as you thought it would be, was it?" Padhrion said.

"No I suppose it wasn't."

At the moment no one in Mirkwood was even the least bit sick, and so on these occasions when there was nothing pressing to be done in the infirmary, Padhrion and I would walk around his herb garden, scattering seeds and readying the sprouts that we would later use for medicine.

"The Lord of Rivendell is very fair, but I sense a sort something grieves him." I told my friend, trying and failing to sound indifferent.

He glanced over at me slyly.

"And you think you are the reason that he grieves?"

"Why not? Perhaps he is sad to see someone such as myself grace the throne of Mirkwood. He may not approve of the mixing of human and elvish blood. Besides, if he knew the king was looking to remarry he might have sought to make an alliance through marriage between Mirkwood and Rivendell."

"I don't think our king was _looking _to remarry. And I think you might be wrong about his disapproval of elven and human marriages."

"Oh how would you know?" I said a little crossly. "Like everybody else, you just try to make me feel better by telling me sweet lies!"

Padhrion laughed.

"Don't laugh at your queen." I said, sulking.

"I apologize Laurwen-er- my queen." I smiled at the glint in his eye. "It's just that it's common knowledge that Lord Elrond is half human himself. So I doubt very much he disdains humans."

For a moment I was too shocked to speak, but he went on, "And if he grieves, it is because he has seen much evil in his long and honored life, not the least of which being the departure of his beloved wife to the West."

"Oh. Oh I see." How foolish I was! Thinking everything was about me. I was definitely over sensitive about all of this. "Why did his wife leave?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

I was appalled at the suggestion, and told the healer so, but he refused to say more on the matter, insisting as if I could just ask one of the wisest and most powerful elves casually why his wife had left.

…..

I was in front of my mirror, waiting while Galessel brushed my hair out for bed, when King Thranduil came into our room.

Thranduil usually didn't come to bed until after Galessel was done helping me get ready, and my maid blushed at seeing me in nothing but a thin cotton shift in front of my husband.

"You may leave us Galessel." He said.

My maid looked surprised, still holding my brush in her hands, but the king stepped forward and surprised me as well by taking the brush from her. "I can do that. You may go home early tonight."

She bowed and left, leaving me slightly worried. I wondered for a moment if I had done something wrong, but the King didn't seem upset with me when he stepped forward and started brushing my long dark curls himself just as he had said he would.

It felt nice to have Galessel brush my hair, but somehow the king was even more gentle, and I hoped he didn't notice how I shivered every time he touched my neck when he pulled hair out of the way.

"You did very well today." He said, meeting my eyes in the mirror.

"Thank you." Hearing him say that was the best thing I could have possibly heard.

"How was your meeting with Lord Elrond? What did he have to say?" At this point the king surprised me by breaking his eyes away from mine in the mirror and looking away.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

"No, dearest." He murmured. "Everything is fine."

He put the brush down, and instead rested both of his hands on the top of my arms. Our eyes were locked in the mirror, and we both watched him lean his head down and kiss me on my bare shoulder.

"Would you like to like to come to bed with me now?" He murmured.

I smiled, and rested my hand over his.

….

For a few hours I was able to forget about my worries, but later at night when the king had fallen asleep, they all came back to me. Tossing and turning, I attempted to go to sleep once more, but I soon realized to do so would be fruitless. I could not sleep while so much weighed upon my mind.

Throwing the King's robe over my body, I wondered out into the halls. The cold floor was chilly on my bare feet, but was warmer when I entered the library, where there was a gentle fire going, much to my surprise. I gave a heavy sigh and plopped myself into one of the large cushioned chairs that the king so loved to read in, and then promptly jumped back out of it when a voice startled me.

"I see you are having trouble sleeping as well."

Rising from a chair far in the corner, the tall and regal Lord of Rivendell set down the book he had been holding and crossed his hands into his lap, waiting for me to speak.

"Indeed so, my Lord." I replied, gently sitting back in the chair. It would be horribly rude to leave the library now, but how could I explain to this man that his very being here was one of the reasons for my ill state of mind?

For several moments we sat in silence, both of our eyes fixed on the crackling fire. Later when the air in the room felt almost oppressive to me, I asked the Lord if he would care for a glass of wine.

To my surprise he gave a wide smile, and said that he would like one very much, but only if I would have one as well. When we had both sat down and now had glasses of wine in our hands, closing his eyes, he took a small sip and smiled.

"One thing that Mirkwood for sure does much better than Rivendell: wine. I have never met another elf who had such a keen taste for it as your husband here."

"He loves his wine, yes." I said. And then Elrond would say no more, and I began to sense that he was actually waiting for me to speak. Something about his face seemed so calm and trustworthy. Without thinking I blurted out, "My Lord, what happened to your wife?"

He thankfully did not seem either angry or shocked that I had asked, and instead his face grew very grave. The sad look in his eye made me wish that he had actually been angry.

Setting down his glass, he sighed. "She was attacked and tortured by orcs on her way to Lorien. My sons rescued her, but she was always unhappy afterwards, never the same. Who would be, after all? She decided that she no longer wanted to remain in Middle Earth, so she sailed to the west many years ago."

"I am very sorry, Lord Elrond."

"As am I. But I do not despair, and neither should you child. I have hope that I will see her again one day."

"Alive?" I whispered.

He glanced sideways at me. "Of course. She lives still. But even were she not alive there would still be hope. In life or death, as long as there is love there is always hope."

"Those are pleasing words to hear you say my lord."

"Why so? Is there something weighing upon your mind?" He asked gently, although we both knew he already knew the answer.

"In my travels here my friend and I were way-laid, and then separated. I worry that she did not live through our troubles."

"I see. I know, my queen, that you of the race of Men do not often sense the death of a loved one as we elves often do, but were I you I would be thankful for this, because it means that no matter what, your friend might still live. Until you know otherwise, there is always the chance that you will find one another again."

His words, as obvious as they were, comforted me. It was true; if Aeiliel lived still, there was no way in this world that she wouldn't find me some day.

"I see your fox has come to investigate." Carotene, sleepy eyed and drowsy, was now circling Lord Elrond and sniffing his boots. When he reached down to stroke his orange fur, Carotene twitched his whiskers in a satisfied fashion, and then jumped away and into my lap.

"He likes you." I said.

Elrond smiled. "Is there anything else you wish to speak about?"

I paused for a moment, not sure how to go about this. "Yes." I whispered. I thought for a moment, and then decided that perhaps frankness would be best once again.

I told him everything. I told him about finding out about my parent's death, I told him about my flight from the only home I had ever known. I told him about meeting Aeiliel, how we had become best friends. I told him about our harrowing and relentless ride North as my cousin pursued us. I told him about our pass through the brutal mountains. I told them that I had killed a man. I told him about finding my fox; I told him that I was a horse thief. I told him about how we had been betrayed by a young woman and her even younger daughter. I told him about the terrible storm, and how Aeiliel and I had been separated. I then told him that I had found my way here, nearly dead. How the King had taken me in, restored me, and how I had been very afraid that he would return me to my cousin. I told him how I had slowly come to realize that the King was a good man, a great man. How he was strong and caring, stern but fair. How I had come to love him, although his son despised me. How my cousin had finally caught up to me here and had wanted to marry me and take me far away from the King and anywhere that I would be safe. How I had ran, and how the King had rescued me, and taken me back, and made me his queen. How blissfully happy I was, although it still didn't feel right and how his son had threatened me. Finally I told him that everyday now I woke up next to the most perfect man I had ever seen, and how I was afraid that there was a price I had to pay for it, and that I had not yet paid it. I told him how unworthy I was, and that I almost wish I had never married the King, because I was worried that he regretted it, and that above all else, I desired his happiness.

I went on, "I am worried that I am not a suitable wife for my King. He is old and wise, and everyone that lives here is much greater than me. This has especially troubled me ever since you have come to visit. It shames me, my lord, to see you, (the great Lord Elrond!), bow to me and call me a queen. I am a young, foolish, headstrong girl. And not a very wise one at that."

When I was done speaking, the Lord of Rivendell rose, and walked slowly over to the fire. He stared at it for a long moment, before he cleared his throat, and spoke.

"You may or may not be aware, but we elves mate for life. Once we find a husband or a wife, we stay with them for the rest of our days. At least, so it is said. But this is not always the truth. Although we elves are wise, we are not perfect, and we sometimes make mistakes. It has happened in the past that an elf has chosen a mate who was not right for them, who was not their one and true love, and on account of it there was pain and bloodshed."

He paused once more, before going on. "It is probably no secret to you that your husband and I are not the closest of companions. We respect each other, yes, but nothing more than that. When I first met your husband many years ago, he had just been recently married. I have never told anyone this save my own dear wife, but I remember for the first time feeling sympathy for him, and more than that, being afraid for him. I could see instantly, and maybe some others did to, that he had made a mistake. In outward appearance the King and Queen of Mirkwood were perfect for each other, but in reality there were hardly two elves more ill matched. I had a sudden premonition that something terrible would happen because of this, that some great evil would occur. And although it is true that their son Legolas is as good an elf as one could wish for, when I first gazed at Coruven the premonition only grew stronger. I was not surprised to hear of their troubles, nor really of her death. I was pleasantly surprised that nothing worse had happened as I had feared."

Turning to me now, he smiled for the first time since his long speech. "My lady, only time will tell if you are suited to be a queen. That in itself I cannot say. But I have rarely, if ever, in my life met someone more deserving. You may not think so, but you are very strong, very sharp, and very selfless. With your added beauty it is no surprise to me that Thranduil took you for a wife despite your humanity (although I must admit that hope none of my children set their hearts upon anyone of the race of men!) And most importantly, I have rarely seen two people more suited to each other. The only time the King truly seems happy is when he gazes at you."

He came over and took my hands. "If I did not care for the King before, I may honestly say that his choice in you has made me more endeared to me, and my respect for him is ever greater."

I knew my face was red, because a kinder complement I could not have even dared to wish for. But I was not wholly convinced that we were right for each other, and I told him so. "I do not believe I will ever love another as I love the King, but sometimes I feel like there is a wall between us. That ever since the marriage I cannot tell him my feelings. Every morning I want to kiss him and tell him I love him, every night …I..." here I blushed a little, "every night I wish for him to hold me in his arms and whisper that he loves me, but he never does so. We make love often but seldom more than that. He is not very affectionate, and I fear that he has ceased to love me."

"My queen-Laurwen-I do not know why that is, but I assure you I can tell by the King's glances that he loves you dearly. It may just be that you have married a stern, reticent man. He may be unused to such affections. Time may make things better."

"I hope you are right." I whisper, partly unconvinced.

"One thing, your highness." He said, as I am turned to leave. "I wish you would let me tell the King about Coruven. His hatred for you is, well, it's not natural. It's disturbing and unsettling, in fact."

My mouth opened in horror. "No! You must never tell the King about Coruven. No matter what, I would rather die than come between the King and his son."

Reluctantly, he promised not to tell.

…

Returning to bed, I shuffled under the sheets and let my feet warm under the covers.

There were only a few hours until dawn, and thinking over many things, I turned to my husband, who was turned to the other side, breathing softly.

I reached over to where he was laying and gently laid my arm over his broad chest. He was not wearing a shirt, and he shivered gently as my cold hands touched him. He pried my hands off and turned to sleep once more.

Trying not to wake him, I tried in vain to cry as softly as possible. Half asleep, he turned toward me and wiped away my tears before kissing me on the neck.

When he turned away again, I didn't know whether to smile or keep crying, so I did both.

…

I am sure several people were surprised by how much I enjoyed the rest of Lord Elrond's trip. It was as if suddenly the Lord and I had become very close friends, and indeed they were not mistaken, although only he and I knew why exactly. I became good friends with his sons as well, who, although much older than me, were still quite the pesky young troublemakers. They reminded me of my own dead brothers, and the one who still lived. Their pranks and teasing words made my heart feel lighter.

The parting of Lord Elrond and his retinue was sad, but many people said afterwards that it was a great success. Although he had brought troubling news to the King, people said on account of my friendship with Elrond the relationship between Rivendell and Mirkwood would be strengthened. They were right, and I afterwards always considered it as my first success as a queen.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hobbit, everything belongs to Tolkien, and this story is not for profit.**

**Author's Note: I would like to thank everyone who favorited/followed/reviewed the last chapter. It means so much! Especially, kristina44, FictionPanther, and jayjay0815. Thanks guys! I'm sorry about this chapter's delay!**

**Chapter 15**

At the end of the following Summer, the thing I had long dreaded finally happened: Legolas returned from Lorien.

The worst part about the whole affair, however, was that everyone seemed to think that the King's oldest son was absolutely perfect. It didn't matter who I asked, from Esteldes to Hatholben, from Padhrion and even Ellis; they all assured me he was a kind, brave, and honest elf. No one had ever said such things about Coruven, which led me to believe that for the most part these rumors had some truth in them. And that only made it worse, because if I could not win the affection of the King's good son, then life would be truly miserable for me indeed.

It was impossible to not see that the King was excited about his son's return. He never said so, but someone looking closely would have noticed that he woke up a few minutes earlier than normal everyday, and that at dinner every night he ate less, as if he were distracted about something. I am ashamed to say that I was irritated by it.

"My King," I finally told him one evening, "please have some more wine. It's not like you to only have three glasses with your supper."

When he assured me that he was "quite fine", I was ready to burst.

"There's no reason to be so anxious!" I said rather loudly. "It's not as if your son won't be here to stay for always when he returns!" These last words I spoke a little too loudly. Most of the heads in the great hall turned to look at me with shocked faces, and even Carfon turned a little red in embarrassment.

Needless to say, the King was furious.

When he spoke to me it was through gritted teeth. "My Queen, you don't look well. Perhaps you should retire early tonight."

Too angry at the implication of him ordering me about like a child, I was unable even to reply. With a purposefully un-elflike gesture, I pushed my chair out so it scraped loudly across the floor and I stomped off to my room.

That evening I didn't let Galessel help me dress for bed and I made her promise to leave and not wait outside the door; I was afraid of what she might hear when the King came back from dinner. For a while I tried to go to bed, but I was not able to sleep and then I thought that it might look like I was afraid of a fight with my husband, and it may have taken me years to figure it out, but I knew that I was no coward. So instead, I sat in a chair by the fire, waiting for him to return.

He looked a little surprised when he came in that night, as if he couldn't believe that I was still awake. I made no move to take off his rings or his boots as I normally did for him, so he did all of those things himself in the uncomfortable silence of our bedchamber.

"Well?" He finally said, after he was dressed for bed.

"Well, what, your highness?"

"I just thought that you might apologize for the childish and foolish way you embarrassed yourself and me at dinner tonight."

At the word childish I jumped out of my chair. "Don't you dare call me 'childish!" I'm a grown, married woman, and I think I've proven that I can well take care of myself. If anyone was being childish it was you, sending me out of the room like a petty young girl."

"I really had no choice though, did I? Who knows how much damage you might have done had I not sent you away."

"You had no right to do so! I'm your wife and not one of your lowly subjects to order around as you wish."'

"You won't have my respect until you start earning it."

"As if I would want to earn the respect of a grouchy, pompous man like you. As if it were even possible!"

For a tense moment we just stared at each other, angry. He finally wiped a hand over his face, as if in exhaustion. In that moment, he suddenly looked old to me. Not technically, of course, since elves reach a certain point and then they don't age any longer, so outwardly the Kind still had long healthy blond hair and the skin on his pale face was smooth and unwrinkled, but just for a moment, there was something about the weary look in his eyes and the hard lines around his mouth that made him look like every bit of his who-knows-how-many-years old that he was. There must have been something strange he saw in my eyes as well, because suddenly his face softened and when he spoke it was in an uncharacteristically kind manner.

"Laurwen, there isn't a chance, you couldn't possible be…jealous?"

That was just too much for me.

Could this wise, old, King standing before me, really not have realized for a second before this very moment that I was jealous? His young, human wife who lived in the shadow of his graceful dead first wife and her two grown children who had had his love for years before I was even born? Could he really be so blind? Could he really be so blind to me? I had thought he had at least suspected that Coruven and I didn't get along, but the thought of how little he really knew me made me want to cry.

Of course I didn't do that. In this sort of case, there was only one thing to do. Fight some more.

"_Jealous_?!" I screeched. "You think that I'm jealous of Legolas? Of someone I've never even met? Who you rarely even speak of? I can't even believe this. For someone who is supposed to be so grand, you truly are blind."

My words had the desired affect. His face grew as red as an elf's face possible can. "Well, what was I supposed to believe? Jealousy was the only possible explanation for the unsophisticated way you acted. But now that I know it wasn't jealousy, I suppose the only thing left to blame is ill breeding."

For that I slapped him.

I covered my mouth in horror after I did so, scarcely believing what I had done, and he looked just as dumbstruck as I. I wondered if anyone had ever done so before.

I decided that this had gone far enough. I stood a step towards him, and raised my hand towards his face, wanting to touch the spot on his cheek that was now turning red and beg for his forgiveness, but with fire in his eyes he grabbed my wrist and twisted my arm away from him, probably thinking that I was going to hit him again.

He pushed me away when he left the room, and I could only hope that he had forgotten how strong he was, and that he hadn't meant to do it so hard.

….

The next morning I woke up to a message from one of the lackeys.

"The King, with some of his men, has left the palace. His intention is to clear up some ill activity to the north of the wood. He may be gone for several weeks.

…..

"I just can't believe he would leave right now." I told Hatholben, as we practiced our archery. I hadn't practiced with a bow and arrow for months, not since that first time when I had hit someone and the Kind had banned me from the archery fields. I had only returned now out of spite and anger.

"What do you mean?" Hatholben replied, hitting a target a few notches away from the bull's eye.

"His son is supposed to be returning any day now. Why would he leave so soon?"

He pulled another arrow out. "Didn't you hear? Legolas sent a letter and said that he would be longer than expected. It seems he and his friend Tauriel got into some trouble or waylaid or something. I'm not entirely sure what happened, but I'm sure that Legolas will tell us when he returns."

"So when will he return to Mirkwood?"

"It didn't say. Just that it would be longer now." He paused, and watched me let the arrow go. "Nice job," he said. The arrow had hit the exact center of the target.

"My Queen, it is none of my business, but if you ever have anything that you feel you need to speak to me about, I am right here."

"Why do you say that?" I said, letting another arrow fly.

He didn't say anything, choosing instead to simply watch me shoot. I paused after the arrow hit the target again. "You heard what happened at dinner," I said. It wasn't a question.

"I'm afraid everyone has heard by now."

I sighed. That would explain the tense atmosphere surrounding me lately. For the first time since I had arrived in Mirkwood, I was dealing with the disapproval of elves besides Coruven. Most of my close friends had told me that they were sorry I had been upset and that I would feel better, but I could tell the elves that didn't know me quite as well were genuinely angry at me. Legolas was beloved, and I had implied that I didn't want him to return. It made me want to bang my head against the wall, because there was almost nothing that I could do to win back many of these elves' favor.

"Thank you for the offer, Hatholben," I finally said, "But I'm fine really."

"So have you been lying to me all this time?" He suddenly said.

I turned to him surprised. "How so?"

"Well, a few months ago you couldn't hardly even use a bow and arrow, and now you've just hit your tenth bull's eye, and you aren't standing very close to it, I might add."

"Hmmm. I suppose you're right. No, I haven't been lying, but apparently I seem to have a secret talent for it."

I didn't add that there was something my family had teased me about since I was a very young child; I did things better when I was angry.

When I was angry as a child I was undefeatable in a race or a swimming contest, even against my brothers. I always wrote my best music when I was angry, and even my playing was better. It appeared that the habit had not been broken.

Many of the elves might have still been upset with me for what I said at dinner, but several of them forgot it in the days that followed.

I was mad for several days after the King left, and suddenly I spent everyday in archery contests against the other elves.

Starting in the morning the very best archers would step forward and try to best me at the targets. Even by the fifth day no elf had managed to do so, and they were all baffled as to why. Human eyes were no match for elven ones, which made them much better at archery, and it was well known that when I had first arrived in Mirkwood I was so bad that I had accidently wounded some poor elf.

By the sixth day there was a huge crowd gathered around the archery fields, watching me and whoever I was up against compete. In the afternoon, just after lunch, I defeated an elf named Helanina, who was known for being especially skilled, for the fourth time.

After we shot and the crowd was done cheering (now they were rooting for me because I was such an anomaly), a voice above the crowd said, "I would like to try and best the queen."

I smiled, looking for the voice, and the crowd parted silently, a hush falling over them all as a young elf stepped forward.

The elf that had spoken was slender and blond, with exceptional form. He had a small, pleasant smile both on his face and in his eyes. Following closely behind him was a female elf with auburn hair, clearly Silvan.

There was something familiar about the elf. I was sure I must have seen him before, but I couldn't remember where.

"Be my guest." I told him, gesturing him to come stand beside me for the next match.

Since it was clear the handmade targets were far too easy for me now, we had started using natural goals.

"You pick the first target." I told him.

His blue eyes scanned quickly over the woods, before spying a something in the distance.

"Do you see that leaf on one of the trees, your highness? It has a gold-ish tinge that separates it from the other green ones?"

I looked for a minute, until I finally saw it. "Indeed I do. That's a good target. Would you care to go first?"

"No, I insist that you begin."

I almost smiled at the laugh in his voice as I raised my bow. After I was sure I had it, I let the arrow fly.

It pierced the leaf exactly.

Everyone cheered and clapped, but many were silent, eagerly waiting to see what this new elf would do.

Taking none of the time that it had taken me, he shot his arrow in the same leaf as well.

I smiled at him. "Finally a worthy opponent." I told the blond elf.

"I might say the same thing to you." He said, eliciting a laugh from me.

"Alright, well how about that mushroom way on the other side of the fallen tree?"

"I'm ready when you are." He said, and we started again.

Again, I shot perfectly, although this time, instead of merely hitting the mushroom as I had, he positioned his bow so that when he finally shot, his arrow directly split my arrow in half where it had landed, as if he were teasing me with his skill.

Half annoyed and half humored, we shot a new target, and again, he aimed for where my arrow had fallen.

The crowd was in the hundreds by now, cheering each time one of us shot.

Although, now, instead of merely shooting my arrow after I had shot, with an almost otherworldly ability, he would shoot less than a split second after me, his arrow flying right behind mine like lightning, splitting my arrows almost at the same time they landed on their targets.

It didn't matter where I hit or how fast I managed to do so, he always did the same.

Now between shots I would laugh so hard I was practically crying, and every time his arrows split mine, the crowd would laugh as well.

For a moment, I forgot all my worries.

And, of course, this made my arrow fly so off target that it was comical. Everyone, including me laughed.

"I think we have a winner, and it isn't I." I told the elf, trying to breathe from laughing so much.

His eyes were also sparkling with humor. "Surely the last arrow was just a fluke mistake! There's no way that I can let that count. I insist you try again."

I did as the young elf said, but by this time I was not angry at all, and had completely forgotten about the King, so of course my arrow hit some someone standing in the crowd it was so off target.

Luckily this time it just pierced someone's sleeve instead of wounding them. I blushed with embarrassment, but people laughed and cheered, clearly happy that his young elf had won the contest.

Setting down my weapons, I curtseyed deeply to my opponent.

"A pleasure to meet you, oh-skilled-one." I said.

He bowed in return. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, my Queen. My name is Legolas Greenleaf."

….

Having been in the midst of planning a grand feast for the prince's return, his unexpected arrival caused a minor panic for me, the cooks and the other officials who had known the King wanted a grand celebration to mark his son's return. The food was not ready nor the entertainers, and I had promised my husband that I would compose a special piece on the harp to play for Legolas and at the moment I was only half done with it.

Neither Carfon nor any of the other officials knew how to proceed, either. Exasperated, I finally just told Legolas that his father had wanted a party for his return and that I wasn't sure if we should wait until he returned with the others or if we should go ahead and have his party now.

When I told him this, Legolas surprisingly looked rather relieved. Seeing my confusion, he laughed.

"I enjoy festivals as much as anyone, but I really don't care very much to be at the center of them."

"You don't?" I asked. The way he spoke to me was so strange. So frank and honest, as if we had known each other for years and were the very best of friends.

"No. My father knows that, too. I suspect it's his idea of a jest."

"Oh, I don't think so. I think maybe he is just happy to have you home. He has missed you very much this last year and the months before."

"I've missed being home as well, to tell the truth. But it was nice to visit our folk in Lorien. It was a nice trip."

I was not sure if he realized it, but when he spoke his gaze almost magnetically went to the Silvan elf off to the side, talking to some of her kin. Tauriel, I think someone said her name was. Hadn't she went with him to Lorien? I wondered if they were just close friends or if it was something more.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that prince. But that doesn't resolve this delicate matter of your party."

"Wait for his father!" A voice shouted over at us. It was Tauriel. She was grinning from ear to ear. "We can't deprive his majesty of the joy of throwing a lavish party."

Legolas laughed, but there was panic behind his eyes. "I beg you don't listen to this upstart. Let's have the party now, half planned though it is. I shudder to wait and let my father make this into the spectacle he's been imagining it to be. You would be doing me a huge favor, your highness."

Warmth flooded over me. Almost all of my subjects had forgiven me for what I said to the King at dinner once they saw how well Legolas and I got along together, but it still seemed so rare when I got the chance nowadays to do something right or to make someone happy.

"I will do this for you, Legolas. But only on the condition that you not call me your highness."

"What should I call you then?"

"Laurwen is just fine."

…

"Auntie, this feast is magnificent."

I frowned at Legolas, sitting to my right. He had informed me immediately that 'Laurwen' was too boring of a title for someone who was now, after all, family, and he had settled on calling me by the ever more ridiculous 'Auntie." The name stressed how ridiculous the situation was, with me being so young but technically being his stepmother, so it annoyed me to no end. He seemed to take some sort of wicked satisfaction out of it.

"I don't believe that. The entire hall looks like a painting that someone started but forgot to finish."

There was food on the tables but no decorations. On the walls were glowing lanterns and crystal masks but the floor was conspicuously bare.

"I think it's rather nice." Tauriel said. "After seeing the perfection that is Lorien, it's pleasant to return to Mirkwood and remember that not everything elven is perfect."

Several others and myself laughed about this. It was well known that Mirkwood was different from the other elven kingdoms. Besides not quite living up to the beauty of the Rivendell or Lorien, Mirkwood was a dark and dangerous place, and the elves, although quite wise and tame by my human standards, were more reckless and lawless than the other elves of the world. And of course, there was the greatest anomaly of all; their rash and tempered king.

"So, what brought you two home so suddenly?" I asked Legolas.

"Did you mean to ask, did I come home because I heard my father remarried a young human girl and I had to come and try to stop him? Because the answer is no."

Half horrified though I was at his words, I couldn't surpass the relieved sigh that escaped my lips. "Grateful to here that." I muttered.

Tauriel seemed to notice that this was her cue to turn to the elf sitting beside her and leave Legolas and I alone.

"Listen," He said, leaning a little closer, "I don't understand everything that went on here, or is going on here. Yes, people in Lorien were talking about how the King of Mirkwood had surprised everyone by taking for his wife a young noble lady of one of the great families of Gondor. And yes, I was surprised by the news. But I came home because it was not only time for me to return home, but because when I heard my father had remarried, I had but one thought: There is a new member of my family, and I must go and greet them to Mirkwood. Of course, you were actually the one who greeted me to Mirkwood…" I tried not to smile but I wasn't able to help it. He reminded me so much of my older brother in that way. Fiske had always been able to make me smile, even when I had no wish to. I wondered if he was safe. I also wondered if my younger brothers would have had that same ability to force me to smile when they grew a little older, and I felt a surge of sorrow as I realized I would never know.

Had Lord Elrond been here, he probably would have sensed what was disturbing me, but Legolas misinterpreted my sadness. Taking my hand, he said, "I promise there is nothing for you to fear. Any disproval you feared from me, you must set your mind at ease immediately. I took an instant liking to you, and I can see why my father did as well."

"Well, your father-"

"-Is here not a moment too soon, I see."

Legolas and I both turned at the same moment to see King Thranduil. Simultaneously we greeted him with 'Father' and "Husband.' Legolas bowed and I curtseyed. Forgetting our last fight in the mist of seeing my husband again, I blushed and smiled. It seemed as if Thranduil had forgotten our fight as well, for he came towards me and pressed a light kiss to my cheek. "My wife." He greeted me. Legolas bowed to his father, and Thranduil went over to his son. "It is well to see you again, Legolas." He gently pressed his hand to his son's shoulder. "I am quite surprised at your sudden return, however, and also at this half-baked party."

Legolas laughed, we promised to tell our King all about it.

He joined the feast, sitting between the both of us, and we told him of how we had met and decided to go forward with party.

"I am surprised you let Legolas talk you out of my plans, wife." Thranduil said.

"Well, we both decided that the important thing was that the prince received a welcoming party when he came home, and that the quality of the party wasn't important."

Thranduil scowled.

Legolas went on to tell him about Lorien and the news from there. When Legolas asked where Coruven was, the King explained in a very vague manner that the younger prince had gone off to travel a little. Legolas had nodded, seemingly used to his younger brother's habit of going off for long periods without telling anyone where or why. Thranduil did ask his son about the trouble he had run into on the way to Mirkwood, the trouble that had caused his delay.

"Orcs, father. More orcs than I have yet seen at one time altogether. If Tauriel had not been there I don't know what I would have done."

Thranduil nodded; apparently not surprised his son's run in with the orcs. "Lord Elrond was here not very long ago, and he had some distressing news to tell me. It seems like we must get more and more used to fighting the foul creatures. I myself was just in the north woods dealing not only with orcs but a new nest of giant spiders. The only thing worse I could imagine would be dwarves."

I turned to my husband with my best shocked face, complete with wide eyes and open mouth. "Dwarves? I love dwarfs!"

There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment. I think I even heard a glass drop.

"Dwarves?" The King asked.

"Yes! They are so frank and open. Ill-mannered, yes, but very plump and jolly. I remember seeing a few when I was young and they came to visit, but it has been very long since I last saw one. I would like to see one again."

For a moment everyone just stared at me. Only Tauriel looked as though she was curious about them as well. After a moment the king finally put his glass down and said, "Well, my queen, I hereby make you this promise; the next dwarf that comes through Mirkwood, Legolas will catch and put it into my dungeons so that you may stare at it all day if you wish."

"It would be my honor, father." Legolas said.

All of the elves laughed in good-natured malice. On the other hand, I pouted for almost the rest of the evening until Legolas decided it was time to cheer me up.

"Father, I had no idea your new wife was as good a marksman as I."

I tried to motion Legolas to stop, but by then it was too late.

"Laurwen is not allowed at the target range."

There was an awkward silence, and Legolas looked sorry as he raised his hands as if to say to me "Well I didn't know!"

But I needn't have worried, because the King started laughing. "She is very stubborn, my new bride." He took my hand from under the table and gave it a squeeze. "It is one of the talents that I most admire in her. That and her skill with music."

"Music? In Mirkwood?" Legolas asked disbelievingly.

"Oh yes, she is quite the talent."

"Please, your highness, you are embarrassing me." I told my husband.

The King pretended not to hear. "In fact, I believe she planned to play a song for you, upon your return."

"But I never was able to finish it!" I said.

Legolas and his father both smiled. "Well," Legolas said, "This whole party is only half done. I don't see what the harm would be in listening to a half-finished song."

I obeyed begrudgingly, but soon I was able to lose myself in the music. Thranduil smiled, a secret smile only for me, as I went past the point where I had not been able to finish the song and made up an ending on the spot, as if he had known that I would be able to do so.

…..

That evening, after I had helped my husband out of his boots and cloak, I took him by the hand and kissed his palm.

"I am glad that you returned safely, my king." I hadn't realized how much I would miss him until he had actually left, and I hope he understood that I was also apologizing.

He gave me one of his rare smiles, and pushed the hair behind my face, making my face flush as he placed a cool hand against my bare neck.

"I have never cared for you more, than when I came home today and saw how you were welcoming my son." He pressed a cool kiss to my forehead, but I knew that no matter how pleased he was with me at the moment, he would not lay with me that night. But tonight I needed him to. Our first fight as a married couple had been hard on me, and I knew that it was important to make up after a fight, and not just with words.

Before he could turn, I pressed another kiss to his hand, this time taking longer and gently raising my eyes to meet his. He raised one of his eyebrows, but when he tried to take his hand back I resisted.

"Laurwen, it is late, and I must wake early in the morning."

"You're right," I sighed, pretending to be defeated. "I apologize. Let me help you finish undressing."

He seemed a little wary, but he nodded. My hands shaking a little, I reached up to undo the large golden buttons of his tunic. When I had bared his chest to the waist, I stepped forward, reaching my arms around him. I pressed my lips against his chest and sighed, and although he shuddered, and he pulled away saying, "I can do the rest myself."

I didn't argue. Instead, I told him I needed to wash before I came to bed.

He was already asleep when I came to bed, and I didn't wake him when I joined him. I waited for sleep to take me as well.

Early in the morning he woke me by gently nudging me awake. His hand was on my bare stomach, and I saw through the groggy veil of sleep surprise on his face. I had expected the surprise. Never before had I not worn a nightgown to bed before, and he was no doubt shocked to find his wife lying bare beside him. Trying to hide my smile from him, I quickly kissed him on the cheek and then yawned extra loudly and turned away from him. He was all over me then, kissing and touching. The rest of his clothes were off swiftly before he rolled over me and pulled our bodies close to meet each other's.

Later, when we were both gasping and panting for breath, I heard him growl through his teeth, "Don't ever do this again."

The corner of my mouth twitched. "Why ever not, my king? Some nights it's just too hot to wear my night clothes…" I hooked a leg over his waist and even he couldn't hold his laugh. He kissed me on the cheek and I knew that we weren't quite done yet for the morning.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit, everything belongs to Tolkien, and this story is not for profit.**

**Author's Note; I would like to thank everybody who favorited/followed/reviewed the last chapter. Your support keeps me writing! I especially appreciate reviews; for some reason this story has way more favorites and follows than reviews. I'm not sure why that is. But anyways, I hope you all enjoy! I think this is one of my favorite chapters **

**Chapter 16**

Lately I had been thinking of my mother more often than usual. Before my parents had been killed, I had still been young enough that I was allowed to spend most of my time playing my harp or exploring the fertile river lands around our castle. I knew how to sew and spin and do a few useful household things, but my mother and even my father had died before they got the chance to teach me the most important things about being the lady and wife of a lord, much less a queen.

I tried hard now to remember what my mother would have done in my situation. Whenever there was a shortage of food in the kitchens or high-ranking elf asked royal permission to marry or depart from the woods, I tried to remember exactly what my mother would have said in my situation. And I wasn't even fully a queen in all aspects; there were only a few duties that I had agreed to take responsibility for as of yet.

"My queen, you seem somewhat…sorrowful. Is there anything wrong?"

I looked up, breaking my trance. It was an elf maiden named Delia that had spoken. She was a young Sindar elf, who, like Esteldes, was distantly related to Thranduil. Esteldes was the daughter of Carfon, Thranduil's cousin and advisor, but even after Delia explained how she and my husband were related I still didn't understand. It seemed to me that all elves were somehow related to one another, at least distantly.

Delia was smart and like all elves, extremely beautiful. I tried to get close to Galessel, but she always kept herself somehow distant from me, I think because she was my maid. Among the elf women, Esteldes had been my only close friend, although she was younger even than I. But I was excited to make a new friend in Delia when she returned to Mirkwood, having previously spent most of her time away traveling.

She was a welcome companion with her level-headedness and calm demeanor, so different from the wild and reckless Esteldes.

Bending back down to take a look at my sewing, I finally spoke. "I'm alright Delia. I was just thinking about my mother."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Esteldes and Delia exchange a look.

And no wonder; I had never spoken of my parents, or my family for that matter, to anyone since their deaths aside from Aeiliel and Thranduil. And only a little to Thranduil.

"I'm sorry," I said, "I didn't mean to bring a cloud of gloom over our fine afternoon." I looked towards the sun high in the sky as if its brilliance might vanish some of my sadness. We were sitting on a balcony of the palace, me and Delia each sewing some dancing shoes for a festival that was coming soon, and Esteldes was stroking Carotene's fur, who was napping happily on her lap.

"No, Laurwen, it isn't that at all. We are overjoyed to hear you speak of your family." Esteldes said, Delia nodding in agreement.

"Why ever so?" I said, looking at the two of them in surprise.

Delia, as usual, struggled to find something to say that would not be seen as insensitive, but as usual Esteldes took over for her older relative.

"It's so rare, your highness, that we elves ever truly get over a sorrow. When we lose someone that we love, we never truly heal from the pain." She said.

I believed the truth in her words. I had seen its reality all around me. Hardly anyone ever spoke of Thranduil's first wife, the late queen. Coruven had done so, but his pain and anger had been very obvious. Even Thranduil had never spoken of her to me, and I was afraid at this point to ask. I remembered when Elrond had visited and told me of his own wife's suffering and departure. That ordeal had happened to her ages ago, but I had seen him wince when he spoke of it as if it had happened only yesterday.

"You mortal men are different. You live shorter lives and are therefore blessed with being able to heal quickly, or so it is said. Many of us found it worrisome that after all of this time you still never spoke of your own family. It is a comfort to know that your heart is healing." Delia said, finally speaking.

"Yes, it is isn't it?" I agreed out loud, while secretly questioning myself. Yes, I was able now to speak of my parents, but still not Aeiliel. I missed her so much, the wound even more fresh than that of my parent's death. I hoped not Thranduil nor anyone else in this world knew how much I mourned for her day and night, and how torturous it was not knowing if she lived or died.

"Tell us about your mother, lady." Esteldes said eagerly.

On her lap I watched Carotene yawn and stretch. I smiled watching him. "Well, she would not have approved of my pet here. She was a very great lady, I think. A wise lady…even wiser than my father. I never heard anyone, servant or family, speak of her without love."

"Did she look much like you?"

"She was taller and more beautiful than I could ever wish to be, but I did get my dark curls from her."

"And your golden eyes? Where do they come from?"

"I don't know. And my mother did not know either. She used to say that one night when she was pregnant with me she couldn't sleep, and went to the window and saw instead of the quiet rain that had been falling all evening a shower of golden dust, giving the early morning grass a fine misting of it. She said when she woke up in the morning that there was none on the ground to be found, that the garden fairies had gathered it all up, but that they had left some for her in the form of my eyes."

When I had finished talking I saw them both looking at me, smiling. I felt myself blush; I was not used to talking this much about myself. "Anyway, she was always teasing like that. She was away most of the time with my father, who couldn't bear to leave her behind, but whenever she was around she liked to tease and play tricks."

"She sounds wonderful, lady." Delia said softly.

"She was," I said, "And I find myself thinking of her now that I am queen and in charge of so many things. She never got the chance to teach me all the things that I should have learned. I try to think of what she would do in my situation. She pleased our people so much, not to mention my father. There is nothing I fear more than letting down my King."

"No fear of that!" Esteldes said happily. "King Thranduil loves you! We all see how his gaze follows you as if no one else in the room exists."

"Ssshh!" Delia said. "Here he comes now!"

I turned and indeed saw Thranduil gliding over in one of his long robes. He took my hand and quickly pressed a kiss to my palm in greeting before nodding to the other girls.

"How goes your day, my queen?"

"Excellent. As you can see we are getting ready for the festival. Where are Legolas and Tauriel? I haven't seen head or tail of them all day."

"They have left for the border," he said, leaning against my chair, "to swap out with the rangers now defending it. I am sadly not sure if they will be back in time for the festival."

"I see." I said sadly. I had come to greatly enjoy Legolas and Tauriel's company.

"Never mind that. I came to ask you if you needed any new clothes or supplies. I am having a few scouts go into Laketown to trade a little."

"Oh, I see!" I said, my eyes brightening momentarily as I had an idea. I had not left Mirkwood since I had arrived here, and it suddenly occurred to me how much I would like to leave and go visit Laketown myself.

Thranduil, seeing the sudden brightness of my eyes, smiled just a little himself. "What is it, my wife?"

"Well," I said taking my hand in his own and looking up to meet his eyes, "it is only that I would very much like to accompany these scouts to Laketown myself." I saw the sudden surprise on his face but kept speaking before he could say anything. "It has been so very long since I left Mirkwood, and I would love to see this famous town where my fellow men dwell. I think this town built over the water will not be unlike my own home, the river lands of Gondor where I grew up!"

As I had spoken I had seen his face change from amused to something else that I couldn't decipher. He had the strange, upsetting look for a moment before he composed himself and was once again stoic. He placed another hand over my own. "There is nothing more I would like than to let you go visit Laketown with the scouts, but I am afraid I cannot."

"But, why?" I said.

"It's just too dangerous, with your brother still a fugitive and your cousin out there wanting to marry you or use you as a hostage."

"But I thought that was why you married me, my lord? So that there was nothing more my cousin could do. Baldrick cannot make me marry him when I am already wedded to you."

"We don't know what he may or may not do. I am afraid it would not be the first time that a lady who was already wedded was kidnapped and then forced to marry another against her will. At this time it would just be too dangerous."

"Nonsense. I am sure that my cousin is back in the South by now, fighting my brother for his land no doubt. There is little to no chance that he will be in Laketown."

"Perhaps not, my dear, but he certainly will have spies or bounty hunters out after you."

"Oh, I suppose you are right." I tried not to sound as disappointed as I was. Normally I would argue with him a little, but how could I argue about this? He was right. If it was dangerous for me to leave Mirkwood still, then I would just endanger everyone else by leaving.

"Thank you for understanding, my dear."

"Of course. I apologize for asking. You may tell the scouts that some more dresses would be just fine."

He nodded and then kissed my hand, bidding me farewell.

Before I went back to my sewing I saw Esteldes looking at me with a conspiratorial look in her eye. I glanced down, choosing to ignore whatever mischief she was up to.

….

Thranduil was sitting on his throne, staring off into space when Esteldes approached him later. The elven king of Mirkwood spent quite a bit of time just sitting on his throne, waiting to hear petitions and problems that rarely happened between elves, so he stood up straighter and raised his eyebrows in question as his niece curtseyed before her king, begging to be heard for a few minutes.

"This is a rare honor, niece."

"It is kind of you to say so, my King."

"What can I do for you?"

"It is not on my own behalf that I would ask, my lord, but on behalf of your wife, my queen."

Brushing some non-existent dust off of his sleeve, he frowned. "Oh?"

"Yes, my lord and king. I would beg you to let her go to Laketown, and to let me accompany her."

"Esteldes, you are younger than my queen is, and even more reckless, there is no way that I would allow you to visit Laketown. And as for my wife, it is much too dangerous to let her go. Her cousin…"

"Yes, yes, I know, your highness. But say that the queen's brother is never able to take back his father's property? That her cousin Baldrick defeats him and takes over Pelargir. Will she never be allowed to leave Mirkwood for her entire life? She will be like a prisoner here. And people all already talking…"

"What do you mean? What are the people saying?"

"Well, I hate to spread vicious rumors…" Esteldes smiled, and Thranduil couldn't resist smiling a little back. It was well known that Carfon's rambunctious daughter loved little else than to get into trouble or to gossip. She laughed but then suddenly straightened up, serious. "They say troubling things about the situation my lord."

"What do they say?"

"They say that Laurwen was running away from her cousin and that she wandered to far close to Mirkwood. That you saw her riding through and you were so captivated by her beauty that you captured her and took her back to your palace. She begged and tried to leave on several occasions, but you would always make up some excuse or go back and get her because you could not bear for her to leave you. Finally you broke the normal elven way of only marrying once and made her your wife."

"Well, it's not so far from the truth now is it?" He said. _Except it was much more than just her beauty that I was captivated by_.

"But my king, these rumors are so disrespectful and unkind. What better way to dissipate them than by letting the kind and loyal people of Laketown see your human queen with their own eyes so that they may know that she is no prisoner?"

Thranduil was silent for a few moments. "Esteldes, if your father has no problem with you going to Laketown, then you have my permission to leave. After all, you're getting older, and I think getting into a little trouble and having a subsequent punishment might be just what you need to grow up a little."

Esteldes bowed, unable to conceal her excitement. "And my queen Laurwen?"

"Stays here in Mirkwood."

"But my King!"

"We are done, Esteldes. Be grateful with what I have given you."

"No, please your highness, grant me one more minute…"

Thranduil said nothing, but she took that as assent and began to speak. "Earlier today, Laurwen spoke of her parents for the first time."

Thranduil's eyes widened. "She did? What did she say?"

"She spoke of her mother and father and how great they were and how much she loved them and misses them. She also spoke of how much she misses her home of Southern Gondor. Please, my King, she seems to be finally beginning to heal, and she clearly misses her home. If Laketown beckons her, than it will be a good thing; it will help to heal her broken heart."

"No, Esteldes. It is too dangerous, can't you see that? The queen could be taken or worse."

"But-"

Thranduil stood up suddenly, slamming his staff into the ground. "That's enough! We are done now."

Esteldes bowed, and hurried away. She was glad the king could not see her face. They were not done, she thought to herself, not yet.

…

"Esteldes, please, quiet your voice." Delia said, peaking out from the hooded cloak that she was pulling down over her head.

"I can't, Delia! I am far too excited." Esteldes was excited. The girl was practically glowing.

I peeked out from under my own cloak. "Delia is right, Esteldes. Hush now, or someone may hear us. My word. If someone had told me that an elf could be louder than a human I would have laughed at them until this night."

"Oh, you all worry too much." She said looking back at us with a flouncing look.

"Indeed." I hissed. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this!"

"You're the one who wished to go to Laketown so desperately. And here, look now, I've made it happen!"

Delia shook her head. "The King will be furious."

I shuddered to myself, agreeing with Delia.

"Oh, it's his own fault." Esteldes said, "What was he thinking, forbidding you to visit Laketown and then going away south to fight bandits? He doesn't know his queen very well, I must say."

I shot her a mean look that she probably couldn't see in the dark. "He knows me, but he trusts me, too. Now I've betrayed him…"

"Will you three hush back there?" Said one of the scouts up ahead.

As luck would have it, the young men chosen by Thranduil originally to go to Laketown were Estedles' two older brothers. The third scout was their friend, a young Silvan elf who clearly loved Esteldes. He was a quiet lad, and I was not sure if Esteldes knew how he felt or even returned his feelings. It had been easy to convince the three of them to let Delia, me, and Esteldes come along. Delia had not wanted to go at all, but she had been worried about the two of us, and begged to come. She need not have, however, Esteldes was delighted to have more company.

"There it is." Said one of the boys, the quiet one who fancied Esteldes. He moved aside a tree branch that was blocking our view, and showed me my first glimpse of Laketown.

….

We made our way down to the settlement, where I saw mortal men for the first time since my run in earlier with Baldrick and his followers.

The place called Laketown bore little resemblance to the land of my childhood. But seeing a large body of water once again was somehow comforting. We arrived in one of the boats that the king owned and kept tied for use, and when we stepped onto the suspended wooden city of Laketown I exited the boat almost as gracefully as the others, having spent a lot of time on the water as a child.

The others stood out in the crowd, but to my surprise no one paid them much mind. The settlers of Laketown appeared to be used to foreigners. I even saw several dwarfs in the crowd as well. After living with elves so long the comparable gracelessness of these town folk made me wonder if I could ever go back to living with humans if I wanted to. So much noise and so many smells.

We strolled around for a while, gazing at the town and people going about their business. The folk who lived here mostly fished, Delia told us, for she had been here before, but they made most of their money off trade. That's why there were several stores here that sold exotic wares from all over middle-earth.

We secured several deals with the folk who had food to trade so that there would be enough for our people throughout the next three to four months even if the weather was bad or if there were a storm of some kind, which I was happy to have assisted in since I was the queen, and would be delivered days later by the traders themselves. We also bought some practical things and after a while Esteldes suggested that we all separate.

"It's too dangerous, with the queen being hunted and what not. We cannot risk it." Said Rumon, which I learned was the name of the Silvan elf who liked Esteldes.

They argued for a few minutes before Rumon finally gave in. Truth be told, the boys wanted to go off on their own as well and visit some friends they had made in town as well as their own favorite shops.

We had a bite to eat before we shopped, at a small pub owned by a dwarf couple, and had the messiest food I had ever eaten in my life. Delia and Esteldes had wanted to eat somewhere else, but I had insisted this time.

The two of them sat at a table in the corner, as far away from the rambunctious crowd as they could, but I was curious and so I went and ate at the bar where I could get a closer look at the dwarf.

I sipped my ale for a while, trying to sneak a look at the dwarf here and there, but eventually the dwarf raised an eyebrow and huddled over to where I was eating.

"You look as if you've never seen a dwarf before, lady."

I blushed a deep crimson, thoroughly ashamed that I, queen of Mirkwood, had been caught staring in such a rude manner.

"I have seen a dwarf before, sir, it is only that it has been such a long time, and I have wished for many years to speak with one again."

To my relief, he laughed, a deep, bellowing sound that came from his stomach. He told me his name was Fowler, and that he and his wife owned this pub, and also asked me which dwarf I had met as a child.

I told him his name as near as I could remember, and Fowler's eyes shone beneath his bushy eyebrows. "Why, that'll be my cousin once-removed you've met!"

We spoke some more until I nearly choked my drink when he said, "So, you'll be the queen of Mirkwood, then. Laurwen, is it?"

I knew there was no use lying to a dwarf. "How did you know?" I whispered.

He patted my hand with his own smaller one. "There, there now miss. Nothing to be scared about. I've heard a bit about your situation, but we run off any bounty hunters we can around here. It was your companions gave you away." He nodded towards Esteldes and Delia sitting in the corner. "Not very common in these parts for humans to be traveling with elves. It was also your eyes. People say that the new queen of Mirkwood has eyes brighter than the purest gold. Not a bad color to have miss!" He laughed again, loudly, but then he was once again serious. "They say that that good-for-nothing king of Mirkwood kidnapped you and forced you to stay with him on account of his great love for you. This isn't true, is it? There aren't many dwarfs left in Laketown and we try to pay that traitor no mind, but after meeting you and seeing how kind you are, I could help you escape if you was looking to do so, madam."

I assured him that no, it was not so, I was very happy with my husband and had married him of my own free will. I didn't even understand how these stories came about. Didn't they understand that there were much more clever and beautiful women than me in Mirkwood and that my King would do something so terrible?

"I would appreciate if you could dispel these rumors whenever you get the chance." I said.

"Well, I can't promise you that. If people want to believe these things about the elven King of Mirkwood, then it's not my place to discourage them!"

He laughed again but by this time Delia and Esteldes had come over to tug on my arm and tell me that it was time for us to leave.

He waved the mug he was holding in his hand at me in farewell and said he hoped that we would meet again soon.

…

We strolled around for a while and went in several shops. Esteldes purchased some material to dye clothes and also some combs for her hair. Delia surprised me by purchasing some thin knives that she slipped into her boots. I bought Thranduil a vintage wine that was supposedly all the way from Isildur's time, which I hoped might appease his anger somewhat.

While Delia and Esteldes went to find the boys, they left me in a tailor's shop where I could buy some clothes. I still insisted on wearing outfits for humans, as I was not yet ready to dress like an elf, nor did I suppose I would ever be able to.

They took my measurements and they got to work on some dresses right away while I explored the shop until they were finished.

The shop was quite large and carried everything from hats and cloaks to party shoes. I stopped over a shelf that had ribbons, and under a glass case was a long blue hair ribbon studded with diamonds. I immediately thought of Aeiliel when I saw it. With her blue eyes and blond hair it would be perfect for her. I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing as I thought about how mad she would be if I bought her something so expensive, and how she would respond by threading it in her hair and no doubt wearing it everywhere, even to do chores and feed the pigs in.

Before I even knew what I was doing, I found myself buying it.

It made me suddenly sad, standing there holding it in my hand, knowing I would probably never see her again, but I swore if I ever did I would give this to her.

Finally my dresses were completed and I was able to go and purchase them. They had asked me when they were measuring me if I was newly married, spotting the ring on my finger. I told had told them yes, which explained what they meant as they now showed me how they had purposefully sewn laces into the sides in case I needed to make the dress bigger.

"I don't intend on gaining that much weight." I said laughing, "Elven food isn't that good."

"No, no" the lady who had sold me the dresses laughed, "in case you are with child! Then all you have to do is let the laces loose a little and you may still wear the dresses even in your ninth month."

"Well, no worry of that," I said as I scooped the dresses up and made my way outside where Esteldes and Delia and the boys were waiting.

We made our way to the docks, and as we sailed over to Mirkwood, I thought about what I had said, and suddenly I began to panic.

I had not had my courses for two months.

Of course, Thranduil didn't sleep with me very often since we had first been married…but then I remembered the night around two months ago when Legolas had returned and we had made up…how he had taken me into his arms several times into the night…

My hand drifted to my stomach. Not much of a bump there, but it didn't matter.

I still knew it.

I was pregnant.

….

It was late when Thranduil and his rangers made their way into his dark halls. The others scrambled away to their own homes, but Thranduil gestured for a servant not to help him take off his cloak. He would wait for Laurwen to do it. He loved how she would spring up out of bed when he came in late, her dark head bent as he reached down to take off his rings with her soft hands, and hang up his coat and take off his boots…or how, if it was the other way around and she were coming in late, how he would help her undress. How he would slowly unlace her dress until she were in naught but her shift, and take down her hair last of all…

As he made his way to their bedchamber he froze in the doorway when he saw that Laurwen was not in bed. He went to the baths, but she was not there either.

"Where is the queen?" He demanded of a servant who was standing out in the hallway.

"Laketown, my King, with the others."

"What?!" He said, his voice so sharp it echoed through the empty halls.

The servant, whose eyes were now wide in terror, had to squeeze his bow so that his shaking hands would not show. "The queen is in Laketown, my king. Along with the others. Lady Esteldes assured us guards that she had gained your permission to take the queen when she went."

Thranduil didn't say anything as he stormed away. Swiftly he made his way back down the stairs and outside where the stables were. As swiftly as possible he put on his riding boots and strapped his swords to his waist, ignoring the stable boy's questions.

He didn't look up until Legolas came in.

"What is, father? Please, speak. Some servants came and were afraid of how angry you were. They don't know what's wrong."

"What's wrong is that I will skin the guards alive." He took a breath, still pulling his boots on, before he spoke again. "Laurwen has gone to Laketown."

"Ah." Legolas said. "I see. Well, you mustn't be angry with the guards; they surely did not know better. And you shouldn't worry. I am sure the queen is perfectly fine. Five elves and one feisty human are more than a match for anything that might come their way."

Thranduil said nothing as he continued to saddle his horse.

"Father," Legolas said, laying a hand on Thranduil's arm and finally causing him to pause his actions, "please let me go after them. You are too angry at this moment to do so yourself. And besides, you are needed here. Let me and Tauriel go."

The king, who was still trembling from emotion, nodded his head and watched as Legolas and Tauriel grabbed their weapons and sprinted away.

Still shaking, Thranduil made his way back inside the castle.

He thought about what Legolas had said, that he was too angry to go himself and that the servants were scared about how angry he had seemed.

He actually laughed, a cold sound that would have made someone who heard it shiver.

_Angry?_ No. He was not angry. Not even a little.

Thranduil was afraid.

…

Rumon and one of Esteldes' brothers threw a rope about a post as our boat gently stopped against the bank.

Delia let out an unnaturally loud sigh for an elf.

Esteldes laughed as she took my arm and helped me out of the boat. "I do indeed think that Delia has been holding that same breath in for our entire journey!"

"And why not?" Delia said, lifting her skirts as she followed behind us onto the shore. "A million things might have gone wrong. I for one am glad to be back on our side of the lake."

"Indeed." Rumon muttered to himself. "Every time I make a journey outside of our realm I become more and more astonished at how wild and unsafe the world of men has become." He raised his eyes up the trees above us, as if he never wished to leave their safe embrace again.

"I think that the danger and excitement of the outside world is what gives the world of men its charm. I plan on seeing the entire world one day when I come of age!" She turned and smiled at her brother's friend. "You surely wouldn't stay here if I asked you to come with me? I wouldn't feel safe without your brooding seriousness!" She laughed and skipped up ahead of the group, hitting a low branch overhead.

My eyes went over to Rumon, who had stopped in his tracks before composing himself and continuing on. His eyes were wide, and although she had been teasing him the intensity in his gaze was shocking. Delia, I saw, was watching Rumon as well, before gazing over to exchange a glance with me.

_Was it possible that Esteldes had no idea about Rumon's feelings for her?_ Young as she still was it would be years perhaps before she thought about marriage, but Rumon and she were so different from one another; I feared that he would be very sorrowful indeed if he told her of his feelings and she were to not reciprocate them.

She called something back to us, which I couldn't hear, before Delia abruptly stopped in her tracks.

"What is it?" Esteldes' brother asked. She put a finger over her mouth. Esteldes turned back to look at us, wondering why we had stopped.

A man jumped down from the trees, and on either side a man and a woman followed. From the glint of light coming through the trees and reflecting off their blades I saw that they were armed, but just as quickly as they had dropped down out of the trees, Delia jumped ahead of us.

She pulled a knife out of either of her boots, throwing one each into the man and woman on the right and left, killing them instantly. The man in the middle, not having time for anything else, threw his entire sword straight at her, but she ducked swiftly and threw a small blade from her sleeve into his chest.

All three now lay dead on the ground, but by now we were surrounded.

Several more men and to my surprise almost as many women had circled around us. There had to be at least twenty of them. Even for elves there were too many, since most of them had arrows pointed at us, ready to let them fly.

We made a circle ourselves, so that no one's back was unprotected. Everyone except me, who had no weapon, had drawn their arms.

"Bounty hunters." I heard Rumon growl under his breath.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a small woman step forward. She appeared to be the leader. Her hair was cut short like a man's, but she moved gracefully and had a stunningly beautiful face. Her smile was as catlike as her voice when she spoke. "We just want the queen. The rest of you all are welcome to leave here alive if you surrender her peacefully. I have no wish to shed more blood than is needed."

Esteldes growled and spat on the ground. Rumon put a restraining hand on her arm and stood firmly. "We would die before we let you bandits take our queen to Lord Baldrick."

She shrugged, taking two swords out of either belt. "Very well."

There was a tense moment as everyone waited to see who would strike first.

The head bounty hunter appeared to be about to step forward, but before she could she made a gurgling sound and fell flat on her face, an arrow in her neck.

We took the opportunity to start fighting, Delia throwing her knives and Esteldes firing her arrows as the boys raced forward with their knives.

I looked from where the woman had fallen to see that Tauriel and Legolas had saved us.

"Run!" Legolas shouted to me as he shot at an enemy.

I made my way to the outer trees for more cover and saw, from above somehow, an arrow hit one of Esteldes' brothers in the side. I looked up and saw that not every bandit had come down from the trees. A few had remained to shoot from above. It appeared they had orders not to shoot me.

I ran over to where a dead bandit lay and took the quiver of arrows and the bow out of his dead hands.

There were three bandits still in the trees. One on one tree and two on another. I tried to drown out the sounds of the swords clanking against one another and arrows whizzing past as I closed one eye and aimed for a shooter. He had not been watching me, and so did not see me fire at him or have time to duck as my arrow flew true and hit him in the neck. He fell from the tree, as the other two snipers in the other tree turned to look at the sound of him crashing into the ground. I shot more arrows at them but they deftly moved aside from each one until an idea struck me. I pulled three arrows out and put them all on the bow and let go.

One man on the right was hit in the leg, and he lost balance and fell, the height of the fall killing him. The last one had also been hit in the leg, but it was in the thigh and not the calf. He did not lose balance. Pulling an arrow out they shot me back in the arm.

I fell to the ground, hissing with pain as I grasped at my arm. I saw black spots in my vision but I struggled to not pass out.

In no time at all the others had surrounded me. Someone must have finished off that last sniper. I looked around and saw that everyone was accounted for and appeared not to be wounded aside from me and Esteldes's brother.

Legolas stepped forward and laughed when he saw that I had already pulled the arrow out myself.

"Well the worst part for you is over now. How are you feeling? How is the pain? May I look?"

I pulled my sleeve up and he said with relief that the cut was not very deep; the arrow that pierced it appeared to have been very dull.

Tauriel tore a strip of her dress off at the bottom to wrap around where it was bleeding. While she worked he spoke. "You must be very foolish indeed to stay and fight when I commanded you to leave the fight."

Still in too much pain to feel like speaking, I just smiled at him, which probably came out more like a grimance. He smiled too, and I swore that he looked almost impressed.

"I must go and see how Sivurd is doing." He said, making his way over.

Esteldes's brother's wound was much more serious than mine, having hit him in the side, but we bandaged him up and he was still able to walk back himself with us to the palace.

…

_My dear, sweet sister,_

_I hope this letter finds you safe, healthy and happy. It has only been a few years since we last saw each other, but it seems now like it has been an eternity. Since I last saw you our parents have been murdered, and I am sad to inform you, so have our beloved younger brothers. I thought for many years when no one knew what had become of you that you were dead as well, and that I was truly all alone in this world. I have since learned that it is not so, and I could have cried with joy when I learned that you were safe in the elven land of Mirkwood. I have sent you several letters, but I fear they have been intercepted by Baldrick since I never have had a reply from you. I have sent this one with my own special messenger to be sure that it reaches you, because I have something important to tell you._

_Not a fortnight ago, I engaged our traitor and murderous cousin Baldrick in battle, and as you may have surmised by now since I am alive to write this letter to you, I defeated him and my army triumphed over his. I killed him myself and took from his dead body the sword that had belonged to our father, that he had taken when he killed him. I fought with the aid of our neighboring province to the west, where I have been sheltered all this time, and with much of our own people, who were eager to fight against Baldrick. He was horribly outnumbered and outfought._

_I have regained control over Lebennin and have retaken our castle at Pelargir. You would weep, sister, to see the disarray and state that our cousin left our beloved homeland in, yet, I still would invite you, no, beg you, to come back to Pelargir and stay with me for a while. They say that you are the elven King of Mirkwood's queen. I am not sure if this is true; they say many strange things about the king and what has happened to you, some of them so upsetting that I am not sure what to believe. Nevertheless, I need you to come visit me. I need your help setting the affairs of our land in order; I have always respected your opinion and strength and I am in great need of it now, especially as I am not sure who I can trust. I would like to know if you really have been married to the King, and if not, to please ask you to come back home to stay. We can find you a husband of Gondor if that is your wish. But most importantly sister, I need to see you again. It's just the two of us left in this world. Please come home and remind me that I'm not all alone anymore._

_I eagerly await your reply, and with all the love in my heart,_

_Your brother, Fiske, Lord of Lebennin_.

Thranduil frowned.

He had not meant to open the letter.

…But it was addressed simply to Laurwen, nowhere was it written where or whom it was from. He had been worried that perhaps it was a threat from Baldrick, or someone else, and that if she read it first she might not let him see it. And then, when he had paced back and forth across his chamber, wondering where she had gone, he had not been able to resist.

It was worse than he had even imagined.

Thranduil had learned over the course of his long life how powerful was the passage of time. As days and seasons changed so did people; people who once loved grew to hate, children grew up into adults, people changed the way they thought and even how they spoke.

As time went on, he feared that Laurwen would grow restless, and perhaps wish to leave him. The initial pleasure she had felt at being safe after so many months on the road running from bandits he knew would fade one day. That gratitude, which had perhaps prompted her to marry him, would weaken one day, he knew, and she would wish to move on, away from Mirkwood.

_After all, what was there for her here anyway?_ He may look young, but he was hundreds of years old. _A king, yes, but an aged elf with two grown sons, and already married once before. Never to change, never to move on. To live and rule in Mirkwood for the rest of his days. And she…she was so young and beautiful. So full of hope and spirit. Resilient even after all the tragedy that had befallen her._

He had never been so scared in his life as when he had woke to find that she had left to give herself up to her cousin Baldrick. He knew she had done it for her brothers' sake, but he had worried, even then, that maybe there was another reason why she had left. Some instinct, or yearning, to be back with her own people. Some knowledge she dared not admit to herself that she did not belong here in Mirkwood with these elves, that she did not fit in. Or perhaps did not even wish to.

Terrified as he had been, he had married her immediately when they returned. Leaning now against the railing on his balcony, and staring off at the stars, he wondered what he would have done had she said she had no wish to be his queen. The words Carfon's daughter had spoken came back to him, that people said he had been so enchanted with her that he had refused to let her leave and married her by force. He had not, of course, but would he have? He thought of her smiling face. Of how peaceful she looked when she slept, of how her golden eyes had sparkled when she had spoken her vows, how she would glance at him as she played her harp. As if she played only for him. He wished to believe that she loved him, that she had no wish to leave him.

But then she had asked to go to Laketown; she had been so insistent upon it, and he had thought perhaps he wasn't crazy after all, and she truly did have a yearning to leave Mirkwood.

And now she had truly gone. He wondered if she would ever come back.

He sat down with a sigh in his great chair in front of their fire, his face in his hands. He was an elf, but for the first time in his entire life, he felt old and weary. Could he even get out of this chair when the time came? He felt as if he might sit here forever…

Voices filled the halls, carrying their sounds throughout the echoing hallways. There were shouts, and in the confusion he heard the one voice he knew he could never forget in his entire life. The most beautiful voice to him in the entire world.

All the weariness and sorrow of the last hours completely vanished. Suddenly all the distress gone like someone had blown out a candle.

He was out of his chair in one swift movement just as the door to their chamber was thrown open.

They flew to one another.

He crushed her to his chest so tightly that he thought he might break her. She had been composed a moment ago, but now she was sobbing into his chest. She cried and apologized and hiccupped so loudly and often that she had to catch her breath. "Hush," he said, "just hush now. Everything is all right." He stroked her hair and laid his cheek on top of her head as he waited for her to be calm. He closed his eyes, completely at peace. After a bit she pulled away just enough so that she could turn her face up to his.

"Aren't you angry? Legolas said you seemed angry…" She asked, her voice still quivering.

He wiped away a tear with his thumb. Her golden eyes were glassy with tears. "No, I'm not angry."

She smiled and leaned back into him, holding him tightly.

_Of course I'm not angry_, he thought to himself, _I was never angry. Just scared._

He kissed the top of her head. And they stood like that for a few moments, until she whispered softly, "I have something that I need to tell you."

His heart skipped a beat. _Could she still be meaning to leave after all?_ He pulled her back once more to examine her. "Did you say something a moment ago about being wounded?" He said trying to change the subject.

She frowned. "Just a little. And just in the arm."

He called to his servants. "I want you to let them guide you to Padhrion in the infirmary and let them take care of it. I don't want to take any chances."

"Yes, Thranduil. But first I-"

"Please, go right now. You don't want it to get infected. You can tell me whatever it is you have to tell me later." He nodded at his guards and they stepped up to take her away.

"Wait," she said, reaching for the sleeve of his robe. "Will you come with me? I don't want to leave you."

He leaned down to lightly kiss her cheek. "Of course, dearest wife. I will follow you in a moment. First I must take care of something."

"Alright." She said.

Thranduil stood there for a moment, watching them lead her away down the dark hallways. Their shadows danced in the soft light cast by the flickering torches on the wall. She looked back once and he raised a hand in solute.

After they were gone from sight, he stepped back to his desk, where the letter from Laurwen's brother Fiske was lying on the table. Wasting no time, he grabbed it and swiftly made his way over to the fire.

He held a corner of the letter to the fire until the flame caught it.

_Nothing was certain in this world. Not life or death and certainly not love. And he wasn't taking any chances_.

He watched as the letter burned slowly, its ashes falling onto the ground as the Lord of Lebinnin's words of wishes for a reunion with his sister disappeared forever.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit, everything belongs to Tolkien, and this story is not for profit.**

**Author's Note: I would like to thank everybody who favorited/followed the last chapter. Especially Wildhorses1492, alliesmiley2, joylinn, and jayjay0815 for reviewing! Jayjay0815 made a great point in her review(astute as ever jay!) that the bounty hunters attacked them but Baldrick was somehow already dead at this point. That is true. I just figured in this fantasy world news travels really slowly and even though Baldrick was dead the bounty hunters he hired hadn't got the news just yet. So that was what I was thinking in my head. Sorry to anyone else who thought that seemed a little strange.**

**Chapter 17**

The King held my hand as Padhrion cleaned and sewed the wound up. It didn't hurt very much at all, but for some reason Thranduil had been extra protective and affectionate since I had returned. I suppose it was because he was so happy that I wasn't harmed that he had forgotten to be angry. Sivurd and I were in the same healing room, which was convenient for Esteldes, because she didn't have to switch rooms when she wanted to visit her brother or when she wanted to visit me. From the icy cold look that I saw the King give Esteldes, I learned that he probably was not as calm about what had happened as I had thought he might be, so I had to make a mental note to talk to the King later about forgiving her. She was who she was after all. A trouble loving, rambunctious elleth. But she was his niece and my closest friend in Mirkwood. They would have to make up sooner than later.

But it seemed that it would be a while before I got the chance to tell the King anything.

Every time that we were alone, and I attempted to try and tell him about the pregnancy, he would tell me that I should get some sleep, or he would go and fetch a cook or a servant to bring me something. I had no idea why he was acting in this manner. I was only in the healing room for a day, but he continued to act this way all throughout the next day. When I went to speak to him in his throne room I saw that he was not there as he usually was, and at lunch I went to eat with him alone but I was told that he was working the whole day and would not be dining until dinner. Finally, at evening, I sat beside him as I usually did, but when I put my hand on his sleeve and said, "may I speak with you for a moment?" he told me in just a minute, but then I saw that he had invited Esteldes and Carfon to sit on either side of us. With the two chattiest elves in middle earth at our table I sighed, realizing that there was no chance of speaking to him during dinner. So I sipped my spiced wine and ate the cooked bird and decided to wait him out.

I hated to accuse my husband, but if I didn't know any better I would have sworn that he drugged me. I didn't remember leaving the dinner table, and when I woke up it was the middle of the night and Thranduil was beside me, asleep.

I shook him until he was awake, which wasn't very long. He was a light sleeper.

"Did you put a sleeping draught in my wine at dinner?" I asked.

"Of course not, my queen," he replied in a voice that sounded a little too drowsy.

"Did you have someone _else_ put a sleeping draught in my wine at dinner?"

No answer.

In that dead silence of the room I heard the scraping sound as I gritted my teeth. "Thranduil…"

He did not give me a chance to finish. "Laurwen, I was worried about you. Padhrion told me that it was important for your health that you get some sleep so your body has time to heal. I was afraid that if you didn't take something you would be too anxious about yesterday's events to sleep tonight."

"How…"

I was going to say "how dare you" but I realized that I didn't want to argue at all tonight. We were having a baby and I had been back in Mirkwood far too long now for him not to know.

So instead I whispered, "My King, there is something that I really must tell you…"

And, of course, he muttered, "Tomorrow, love…" and turned away from me.

This wasn't how I had imagined it would go, but at this point he had given me no choice. So, with no other words of explanation I just said, "I am with child. Good night my King." And I turned away as well.

At that moment it was early in the dawn. I knew because although it was pitch black outside I could hear birds chirping in the silence of the room after he had frozen when I told him.

After he got over what I imagined was shock, he sat up in bed, and reached down to put a hand on my shoulder. "Laurwen? Is that true? Are you expecting a child?"

"I am, my King." I whispered.

"Laurwen, please look at me."

Cautiously, I followed his example and sat up. When I saw his face I almost sighed in relief. He wasn't angry. I realized that until this moment I had had no idea how he would take the news. He was such a tempermental elf. It wouldn't have surprised me at all if he had been unhappy at the prospect of another prince or princess, this time one that was half human.

"Is this what you have been trying to tell me?" He said.

"Of course," I said, "What else?"

The strangest look crossed his face, one I could have almost swore was of relief. Although I had no idea why.

The look eventually passed, and he took both of my hands and smiled. "I'm delighted."

Now I breathed a sigh of relief. "Truly?"

"Of course." He said, but then, after a moment, he didn't look quite as happy as before. "Well.."

"What is it?"

"It's just I wish you had talked to me about this first. We've only been married a little while, after all. It is a little soon for a child. And you didn't even tell me that you wanted children or ask me what I thought."

"What are you talking about?" I said, starting to get angry now. "It's not as if I could control it! And anyway you're just as much to blame as I am…"

A look of shock passed his face. "Oh yes, I suppose you are right." He said.

I was trying to make sense of what he meant when a memory suddenly struck me. Someone had told me many years ago, or perhaps I read it somewhere in a book, that elven women could control when they had children. Now it made sense to me. He must have forgotten that once a human made love having a child was fair game.

"Yes," I told him, "I'm sorry, but I can't exactly control it…" Now I was blushing, although he probably didn't notice in the darkness.

"Well, it's good news all the same." He wrapped his arms around me and pulled us both down to the bed. "Any birth is a cause for celebration. Especially that of a new prince or princess. We will make the announcement at dinner tomorrow night and start planning the celebrations. Do you know when it will be due?"

I realized that the baby had to have been conceived the morning after he came home and we made up after our fight. "Sometime in the late winter or early spring, I think."

"Excellent." He said.

I thought about reaching up to kiss his neck, but I knew that now that I was pregnant there was no way that he was going to touch me until the baby came out. So instead I just laid in his arms and tried to fall back asleep.

Just when things were getting hazy, I heard him speak.

"Laurwen?"

"Yes?" I muttered.

"I really am pleased."

I smiled. "So am I."

….

And so was everybody else. For weeks I was congratulated so many times that I began to avoid going out.

People seemed so genuinely excited; it was all very strange to me. In Lebinnin we celebrated birth as well but there were so many babies born every year that it was more of a private family affair. I realized that since it was a very rare occasion when an elf had a child that they made a spectualar affair out of it. Since I had arrived in Mirkwood I did not even think I had witnessed a single birth. And the birth of a prince or princess was something that only happened many once in hundreds of years.

"What do you think it will be, your highness?" Delia asked one afternoon as we all sat together sewing baby clothes.

"I have no idea," I said, patting my stomach, which was visibly round at this point.

"But what do you want it to be, really?" Esteldes said, winking conspiratorially.

I blushed. I seemed to be doing that a lot often. Every since the pregnancy my emotions were running rampant. "I hope it's a little girl." I said.

"Any reason why?" Delia asked.

"Not really." But even as I spoke a memory crossed my mind. Aieliel and I riding horseback across the country. She was listing off names that she liked for a child and names that she did not like. And I remembered looking over at my friend and hoping that we would have daughters that would be able to play together some day.

But that was ridiculous. Even if I had a girl there was little chance that Aeiliel was alive, and an even smaller chance that I would ever see her again one day.

…..

I spent most of my pregnancy in the music room that Thranduil had given to me before we were married, composing songs and playing my harp.

Legolas and Thranduil both said that my recent work was some of my best.

I smiled when I thought of Legolas. When Thranduil had raised up his glass at dinner and made the announcement that I was carrying his child, and proposed a toast to my health, I had been most worried about Legolas's opinion.

After all, he was Thranduil's first born son, and born of a different, now deceased mother. Who could blame him if he was upset that his father would now have another child?

But I needn't have worried. To my greatest pleasure, Legolas had seemed genuinely excited when he had come to congratulate me…

"I can't tell you how happy I am, Auntie." He had said, taking my hands and squeezing them gently. "This is the best news we've had in Mirkwood in years."

I laughed, so pleased at the genuinely happy expression in his face that I didn't even scold him for calling me by that hated "Auntie" nickname.

"I know my father is very pleased." He said, tucking my hand into his elbow as we took a walk outside among the trees.

"Do you think so?" I said, looking up at my step son.

"I do." He said, still smiling. We walked on in silence for a moment before his face grew serious. "I think that in many ways, my father felt that all the joy in his life was over. His own father, my grandfather, was dead, my mother had died, Coruven and I had grown up and had our own affairs, and the glorious times of the past and of Mirkwood were over. I think he felt that all he had left to do was his job. To rule over his people as best as he could and naught else…." He paused and then looked back at me happily. "And then he met you and now he's married again and excpecting a new child. I think you have proven to him that life still has many joys left in it."

"It pleases me to hear you speak so, Legolas." And it did indeed. A weight had been lifted from my mind. On the other hand, I couldn't help but think about Legolas's response without thinking about Coruven.

Thranduil had said something at dinner about perhaps sending some scouts out to find Coruven and tell him the good news at dinner one night. I had almost spilt my drink from horror, and too my surprise, when I looked over at Legolas, he had an equally upset look upon his face. "Father," he had said, "I rather think that we should let Coruven do as he will. When he wishes to return to Mirkwood he can see the child for himself. No need to hunt him down."

"Maybe you are right." Thranduil had said, and to my pleasure had not said anything else about finding Coruven.

As I walked beside Legolas then, I could not help but bring Coruven up to Legoals.

"Why did you not want the King to find your brother?" I asked Legolas.

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you wish for Coruven to be told about the birth?"

"That's not the point," I said.

"I think it is."

I stared at him for a moment. "How did you know?"I asked.

"How did I know what?" Legolas said.

"That I did not want Coruven to be found? That he would not want to come for the birth?"

Hearing my breath beginning to grow heavy, Legolas stopped and let us stand for a moment by the river. In the distance we watched some elves practice their archery.

"I just knew." He said. "Now, don't misunderstand me, Auntie. I love my brother very much. Feircly, even. But he has always been troubled. He was young when our mother died and they were very close. And then I know he has always been very jealous of me, although he has no reason to be. It's as if he can't see that our father loves us both the same, and very much. Knowing Coruven, I doubt he would have taken the news of this marriage and this birth very well. My brother still has some growing up to do before he really is ready to return to Mirkwood for good."

_I Pray that never happens_, I could not help but think.

As if sensing my unhappy thoughts, Legolas pointed to Carotene running out in front of us. "I think your fox might be jealous of the new baby." He said.

I laughed. "I doubt it. He has been spending a lot of time out lately. I think he has found a female. Mayhap he will be having children of his own soon."

Legolas laughed with me this time. "I hope so. It's a wonderful thing to get married and start a family." He said wistfully, and I saw, out of the corner of my eye, his gaze, which watched Tuariel at the archery targets in the distance.

…..

There was nothing to do for months but wait. And wait I did.

It was a miserable business.

Pregnancy was harder for some people than it was for others, and I did not take to it very well. Not only were my ankles completely swollen and my head always sore, I was huge.

Esteldes joked that I was either carrying a boy or a very fat girl. After nine months had passed and the child had still not come, Thranduil finally commanded me to stay in bed until I gave birth.

"The longer you have to wait, the larger the child will grow and the more dangerous the birth will be. It will be safest for you and for the child if you stay in bed until your birth pains begin."

I had scowled when he said that, but I eventually gave in. Walking had become a pain, anyway. And Thranduil came to see me everyday, and he also had my harp moved into the room so that I could sit on the edge and play it when I felt well enough.

Thranduil still shared the bed with me, which I found pleasing and at the same time embarrassing. I had grown so big and ungainly that I was afraid I kept him up with my tossing and turning.

The baby was a lively one. It always seemed to be kicking. Esteldes loved to place her hands on my stomach and feel it kick. Thranduil on the other hand avoided touching my stomach at all. I scolded him for it sometimes, but in an uncharacteristically nice manner he said it was impossible for him to pay attention to his unborn child when its flawless mother was sharing the same space.

It was in the middle of the night, during one of those early spring storms that there was a crack of thunder and lighting that woke me up. My labor had begun.

…

It was a long labor.

My pains, which started in the middle of the night, went on for three days until I finally gave birth on the third night. All the hours in between I was surrounded by elves wishing me well. Well, most of them at least. It stormed the whole three days and I heard Ellis, honest as ever, grumbling that it was a bad omen. I was glad Thranduil wasn't here or he would have been angry at that. Legolas was there at the moment and I saw him shoot Ellis a reproachful look. "The queen is in a lot of pain and stress at the moment. Let's try not to make her more upset."

Thranduil tried to visit me as much as possible between his duties. I looked forward to the moments when he would push past the crowd and come to sit at the chair by my side and let me hold his hand as hard as I wished. He was nervous, I could tell, about how long and painful this labor was. Padhrion assured him that I would be fine, that they had enough medicine and knowledge to take care of me and the child if there were any sort of problem.

When I finally started to push, everyone else left the room except for Thranduil and Padhrion.

The king held my hand as I screamed and screamed. I wasn't conscious of much of what was going on. I heard the storm outside, I felt my hair sticking with sweat to my forhead which I was too weak to wipe away, and I felt an unbearable pain below my waist which I could do nothing about other than push like they both told me to.

I did as they said; I pushed as hard as I could until they pulled my son out, and then my second son, and then, several minutes later, my third.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit, everything belongs to Tolkien and this story is not for profit. **

**A/N: Thank you everybody who favorited and followed the last chapter! Especially AislingSmith and jayjay0815 for reviewing!**

Chapter 18

I woke up with the strangest feeling; I knew that something important had happened, but I had no idea what it was. My eyes were a little cloudy and it took me a few moments of blinking before I could make out my surroundings.

I was surrounded by dozens of smiling and chatting elves, and somewhere I could hear a baby crying.

Then I remembered.

My baby. It was my baby that was howling.

"The queen is awake!" I heard someone say, and then very quickly the chatter died down to whispers.

I could feel my hair sticking to my forehead with sweat, and I had a great pain in the area around my waist, which made sense in the situation. My whole lower half felt like melted butter; I knew it would be some time before I was able to get up out of bed.

"My baby," I said clearing my throat, which sounded quite hoarse, "could someone bring me my baby?"

"The queen wishes to see the prince!" The same voice shouted. It was Carfon who had spoken, I now saw. He was standing off to my right. As I glanced around I saw several elves I knew: Padhrion, Galessel, Sivurd, Rumon, Hatholben, and even old and grouchy Ellis. But the four people that I was closest to were nowhere to be found.

"Which one?" A quiet voice to my left suddenly answered.

On the other side of my bed, Legolas emerged holding a small bundle. He was smiling from ear to ear, and he came slowly closer until he was close enough to show me what it was he carried.

My son was sleeping quietly. He had a little button nose and fat chubby hands that were too precious for words, and a light brown dusting of fuzz covered his head. My throat closed up with emotion as I held out my hands for him.

Legolas handed him to me gently, whispering, "Do you have him?" when my arms wobbled a little with his weight. "Yes," I answered him. "I've always got you, baby." This time speaking to my son.

Entranced as I was, I still was able to wonder how this baby was sleeping so soundly, when somewhere in the room, that other baby was still howling. I suddenly registered Legolas' words when he had asked, "Which one?"

Looking up I saw two other figures on either side of him. Smiling almost as happily as Legolas had, Esteldes and Delia emerged on either side of him each carrying a bundle of their own.

Some of the elves that were standing closest to the bed joined me in giggling when I laughed at the sheer happiness and absurdity of it all. I remembered fully now. I had given birth to three sons. Triplets.

Wiping away the emotional tears that were streaming down my face, I sat up a little more in bed and made room for the other two tiny bundles that Esteldes and Delia placed in my arms beside the first bundle.

The other two boys did not share the first's soft brown fuzz, instead having, to my surprise and delight, the same black colored hair that I had, although there was just a little of it at the moment. The first baby was sleeping and the other two were crying so hard their eyes were closed so there was no way to tell what color their eyes were, although I had been told that a baby's eyes often change color later.

"Well, Auntie," Legolas said laughing, you've given Mirkwood enough princes to last until the end of time!"

"They will certainly be able to hear the brood even outside of Mirkwood." Esteldes said, rubbing her ears in pain.

It was true the children were crying very loudly. I took a minute and just rocked them; cooing and touching their soft little faces until they had stopped.

They were all so tiny at the moment I could hold all of them; A thought passed me that it would not be so forever. There would be a time one day when they were so big I would only be able to hold one of them. My sons.

People stepped forward to give me congratulations before taking their leave to give me some privacy. I was in for a bit of a surprise when Legolas' friend Tauriel stepped forward, and said, "Congratulations, your highness," and handed me three small little hand toys for the babies all carved from wood. I was so shocked I could scarcely mutter a thank you. I liked Tauriel, but I had not known yet how she felt about me. Seeing the little toys I realized she must have made these very quickly, for know one had known yet that I would have three sons.

Soon it was only Legolas, Esteldes, Delia, and Padhrion left in the room besides the children and me.

Now that it was just us left, I finally found the strength to voice a question that had been bothering me since I woke up, but which I only had the courage to voice now that

there weren't so many others around. "Where is the King?" I knew it was irrational, but I was suddenly worried. _Was something wrong? Was he sick? Was he, heaven forbid, possibly upset with the triplets or their birth?_

Luckily Legolas did not seem to be worried about it. "He stayed with you for a while after you fell asleep and then he said he had some business to take care of. Don't worry, Auntie, I told someone that you are awake now. He will surely be coming to see the children soon."

"Who could not want to see such perfect little sweetings?" Esteldes said, taking one of the boys from me so she could rock him back and forth himself.

Delia nodded her head in agreement, and I started to say something when the door opened and the King himself glided into the room in one of his long robes.

I sat up quickly, and he came over taking my hand. Since he entered the room our eyes had never left each other's, and he said my name with such emotion in his voice that the others, and even the servants, all left the room until it was only my husband and my children left.

"Thranduil," I said, reaching up to touch his face. He closed his eyes when I did so, and wrapped his hand around my wrist, keeping my hand there for a few moments until I whispered, "Look."

He looked down at our three sons, the third of which Esteldes had returned to me.

"I know." He said, looking down at them.

"Aren't they beautiful?" I whispered.

"Yes. Almost as beautiful as their mother."

I had been married to Thranduil for some time, I was the queen of Mirkwood and now I had given birth to his children, but when he spoke those words I blushed as red as if I were a young girl still.

He leaned down to kiss the top of my head, and then take a baby, one of the dark haired ones. The baby looked so small in his father's much larger body, but Thranduil seemed to be a natural, holding the child even more skillfully than I had, and rocking him gently back and forth.

"You do that so well!" I said.

"Well, you forget I'm not new to this as you are."

_That's right, _I thought, _he's been through this all before once. _Legolas, and especially Coruven, had always seemed to me to be two such as they had never been young. It was ridiculous, I knew, but I had always thought of them as they were now, two grown elves, fighters and warriors the both of them. It was strange for me to consider the thought that once they had been as small as my sons were now, and their father had held them like he was right now, and their own mother had probably laid on this very bed and watched him as I was doing now…

"Are you alright?"

I cleared my throat, my gaze leaving my husband and returning to the two babies in my arms. "Of course. I was just thinking for a minute."

We held the children for a bit in silence, neither of us needing to say anything.

After a while he finally spoke. "Do you have any ideas for names? I've been thinking about it a little myself…"

"I've already decided." I said so quickly that he stopped rocking the baby and looked at me.

"You've already decided? You didn't think to ask me for my opinion?" He said somewhat annoyed.

"Well as you said, you've already done this before, so I think that I should be the one to name the boys."

"Their mother named them, actually." He said, wiggling the baby's hand, which was wrapped around his forefinger.

The rare mention of his first wife would have shocked me into silence, but he went on and asked what I had decided to call them, still sounded put out. Well, that was just fine. I pushed them out of my body, so I think I deserved to name them. Unfortunately I had not actually thought about names at all, and I was only lying when I said that I had names already chosen. I just didn't want him to name them first.

I hesitated for a second, before an answer came into my head. "Wrane and Klirion. For the dark haired ones."

He raised an eyebrow. "Strange sounding names. Are they of Gondor?" From the way he phrased the question he made it obvious that was not necessarily a good thing.

"Yes." I whispered. "Those were the names of my younger brothers."

He went quiet at that. We both remembered the stressful time when my younger brothers had been in my cousin's custody and I had went to trade myself for their lives. I had gone but realized it was too late for my brothers, and Thranduil had thankfully rescued me in time.

"Wrane and Klirion they shall be. And the other one?" He nodded to the brown haired one in my arms sleeping next to who was now Wrane.

I had an idea for this child as well, but I hesitated even more to voice it. I had no idea what elvish customs were about naming, and if they even shared our way of naming children after someone who had died. "For this child…I was thinking Oriphar, for your father." Thranduil's father, Oropher, had been King of Mirkwood before him, and had died in battle fighting for his people, a true hero. He was said to have been a very great elf, and Legolas told me once that it was said that Thranduil had been very close with Oropher. Oriphar was the name just changed enough that I hoped it would not upset Thranduil…

"Oriphar, then. A great name for him to live up to. I know all the princes will honor the brave men who died and whose names they have now taken."

He didn't say so, but I knew he was pleased with me naming his son after his father. And it pleased me to hear him acknowledge and approve of the bravery of my own dead brothers.

He discussed coronations and training, school and languages. I listened to him go on about all the things our children would learn to do until my breasts began to ache.

I insisted on feeding them all myself, even though Thranduil said three was a lot for one woman and that I should perhaps give at least one of them to another mother to be fed.

"What mother?" I said. "I'm the only female to have given birth in Mirkwood in three years."

"I can have a human nursemaid fetched from Laketown."

"No thank you," I said, "I don't want some stranger feeding my sons."

"Have it your way."

"Are you pleased, my King?" I said suddenly.

"I am." The corners of his mouth lifted a bit, but the smile did not exactly reach his eyes.

"Is there something wrong?" I said.

"No, of course not." He said, but I could tell that he was thinking about _something._

When I goaded him further, he finally admitted, "Well, it's just that I had hoped that we would have a girl."

Feeling my face starting to flush with anger, I took a deep breath to calm myself down before I spoke. "You're upset because our children are boys?"

Apparently I wasn't able to conceal my irritation as much as I had wished to.

"Well, yes. A little. After all, I already have two sons, Laurwen. And now I have five."

I bit back calling him a rude word that Aeiliel had taught me once. "Well, you might as well make the best of it." I said instead. _Because that's the last child you're ever going to have. _The words were unspoken, said only in my mind, but I think he must have understood, as I did, that we would not have any more children. We would have our hands full for the next twenty years until they were fully-grown, and there would be no time or place for any more children.

He looked somber for a moment as he let that sink in, and then abruptly his eyes lit up for a moment. "On the other hand," he said, "I can't wait to send Lord Elrond news of their birth."

"Oh?" I liked Lord Elrond very much, but was well known that there was a bit of unspoken rivalry and resentment between the two rulers who didn't see eye to eye on most things. I was surprised that he would be so eager to tell Lord Elrond of all people about the triplets.

"Oh, yes." He said, "He and everyone else have always gone on and on about those twin boys of his. Everyone thought that was so special. I can't wait to tell him that I have, not two boys born at once, but three!"

I rolled my eyes at this absurdity, but he didn't notice in his own gleeful malice. "Would you mind to put the children in their crib?" I pointed to an oak bed for the babies that someone had made and placed beside the bed in the days I had spent before labor. Luckily they had made it far too big since it was built for a prince, so all three of them fit in just fine. "I really need to rest for a bit more."

"Of course," he said, putting the babies away, "but before you do that, there's something I want to give you."

Wondering if this perhaps had anything to do with the 'business' that he had been seeing to as I had slept earlier, I sat up in bed, curious.

I looked at my dark curls that were completely unbound from the birth. They looked thick and tangled, and I hoped that I would be well enough soon to make it back to our chambers to be bathed.

A servant came in and handed something on a pillow to Thranduil before he went back out. Placing the pillow on the table, Thranduil took the object off of it and came over to the bed where I could see it.

It was a crown.

A beautiful crown.

Much like his own, it did not circle around the whole head but only the sides and the back. It had spikes like his own, but they were not as tall and instead of leaves coiled around them I saw that glass roses were threaded through them. White roses, with purple and blue spots. The winter roses that he had shown me growing on top of the trees that night that seemed so long ago now, when we had climbed the tree, just the two of us…Inlet all over were designs gilded in gold, the color of my eyes.

"It's beautiful, my King."

"We married so suddenly I did not have time to have a crown made for you. And now that you have born my children, no one will ever be able to say that you are anything other than my wife and queen."

I bowed my head a little as he placed the crown on my head, and I lifted it up afterwards as he met my eyes, the eyes of a woman and the queen of Mirkwood.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit, everything belongs to Tolkien, and this story is not for profit.

A/N: A lot of people favorited and followed the last chapter, for which I am eternally grateful! Your support makes this story possible! And to the guest who reviewed the last chapter, your wish is my command!:)

**Chapter 19**

The first time we tried to travel with the children it was a nightmare.

Thranduil trusted Legolas and Carfon enough to keep Mirkwood safe while we went on a trip to Rivendell, but we had scarcely been traveling for twenty minutes when one of the boys swallowed something poisonous, another dug a stick into a horse he was sharing with another elf, causing them both to run off into the woods ahead of us, and the third had completely disappeared.

Fortunately we were able cure Oriphar, who had swallowed the poisonous mushroom, catch up to Klirion and his rider and calm their horse down, and last of all, find Wrane an hour later in the tree branches above our heads. I experienced that day a very strong feeling that I had come to experience more and more often since I had given birth, a feeling impossible to know until you have had children yourself; the incredible and all-consuming terror when you are worried that they are hurt or lost, and the warm glow of love and relief when they are returned safe and sound.

Needless to say, even though they were returned safe and sound, Thranduil decided that they were too young and troublesome to travel yet, and we would perhaps go to Rivendell another year. This upset the children, as he had expected, but he was even more surprised to find this put me in a foul mood as well.

"Two years old." I growled, taking my riding gloves off and throwing them on the table in our private chambers. We had just returned back to the palace and we had both went straight to our rooms to change out of our travel gear. "Two years old and they are already little hellions. In the course of their short lives they've already managed to destroy some of your family's precious heirlooms with knives and paint, make themselves sick on wine, shave the fur off Carotene, and tie Ellis' feet together at supper. What are they going to manage at the age of three, I wonder? Burn down the palace and Mirkwood, too?"

I sat down in a huff, crossing my arms over my chest. I looked to Thranduil for agreement, but he just cocked an eyebrow at me, not saying anything. But he didn't need to say anything; I already knew what he was thinking. He knew that I was more upset at not being able to travel then at the children's behavior. The children misbehaved several times per day, but it was I who always made excuses for them and who spoiled them and laughed at their mischief. It was their father who usually grew angry and tried to punish them, saying often that they behaved more like little goblins then princes. And it was I who always cried and kissed Thranduil and begged until he promised not to punish the boys.

"Don't be cross, Laurwen. We will find time to travel soon enough. Rivendell is not going anywhere, and the children will not be young forever. The boys are so young, there could be spiders or ghouls on the road, it's better not to risk it at this age."

"What age _would_ be good for them to travel, I wonder? They show no signs of calming down any time soon."

"Well we can't really fault them. They inherited their father's creativity and their mother's penchant for mischief."

I scowled at him. He was always assigning the children's good qualities to himself and their bad ones to me.

Seeing my red face, he added, "They appear to have inherited their mother's temper, as well."

I opened my mouth to say something smart back to him, but at that moment the door opened and the little monsters that we were just discussing came in through the door.

They were wobbling around on their little feet, and Esteldes had two of their little hands in her left and the third's little hand in her right. For the past two years raising the children had taken up almost my entire time, at all hours of the day and night. But whenever I absolutely needed time for myself, to take a nap or play my harp for an hour or so, Esteldes always volunteered to watch the boys. At first I had asked Delia to watch over them for me because I trusted her more and thought she would be a calming influence on them, but Esteldes had always tagged along. It was clear she loved the boys and all too soon it became obvious they preferred her to almost anyone else.

"The children had something that they wanted to say to their mother and father. Go on, children."

One by one they took turns saying "sorry" in their adorable little lispy voices: first Wrane, then Klirion, and then Oriphar, who was the shyer of the three and who usually waited to follow his brothers and see what they would do first.

Thranduil and Esteldes both looked at me, clearly waiting to see how long it would take me to forgive them. They didn't have to wait long.

"Darlings," I said, opening up my arms for them to run into. "Your apologies are accepted. Mother knows you try hard to be good little boys." The smack of their little lips on my cheeks affirmed their agreement. And I cooed at them for a bit, ruffling their hair and pinching their fat little cheeks.

I was so entranced by their sweet faces it took me a moment before I realized Thranduil was speaking. "I'm glad your mother forgives you, boys. Because your father is going to see you punished this time."

I turned to Thranduil in horror, and the boys looked up at their father in confusion. They had heard the word "punishment" several times, but they still had no idea yet what it meant. "No!" I said, gathering the boys in my arms where we knelt on the ground, "You heard them say that they were sorry! There's no need to have them punished."

I looked at my husband, but he met my gaze, completely unmoved. "Not this time Laurwen. I've let you discipline them as you've seen fit these last two years, which has frankly been not at all. You can't keep making excuses for the children. It's time for them to start taking responsibility for their actions, or else they will grow up spoiled, and I can see your aren't the person to see to that. So I'm going to have to do it myself."

I stood up now and went to him. "Please Thranduil, they're still so young. Let them be carefree for just a bit longer." I thought I saw something flicker in his face, softening it for a bit, but then he gently but firmly pried my fingers from his robe. "Not this time, Laurwen." He turned now to his cousin's daughter. "Esteldes, please take the children out of here and into the throne room. I'll see to their punishment there."

"No, Esteldes, don't you dare take those children out of here!"

Esteldes looked back at me sorrowfully. She clearly agreed with me in not wanting to see the children punished, she was nearly as bad about spoiling them as I was, but she could not disobey the King. I was the only one around here that had the audacity to do that.

I watched her take the children outside and the door close carefully behind her. One of the children, Klirion, held out a little chubby hand towards me in farewell.

When it was just the two of us, Thranduil turned to me. "Laurwen, I-"

But I would not let him finish. Going out a different door, I slammed the wood and jumped on the bed we shared, and began to cry.

….

The rest of the day was miserable. I cried and slept for a while, then I tried to play my harp, but I was so angry that I almost tipped the thing over onto the floor. Luckily Delia was there to stop me in time. She had a little skill with a flute and sometimes she came and played with me.

"I just wish I knew where they were." I said to her, sorrowfully, running my fingers along the strings gently.

"I'm sure they are quite fine, my queen."

"If I found out that he has had them beaten, that would be the last straw. I would take the children and leave him this very night."

Delia reached over to pat me on the arm. "Now, now Laurwen. Of course the King has done no such thing. He loves the children as you do; he has no wish to hurt them; he just wants to see them raised right."

"Well, he might have been fierce with them from the beginning. It makes no sense now for him to suddenly act so strict."

To my surprise Delia gave one of her rare laughs. "Oh, Laurwen. Can't you see? He is in the same position that you yourself are in."

"I don't know what you mean?"

"Don't you? Every time the boys do something awful you are too charmed by them to punish them, and every time the boys do something awful the king is too charmed by _you _to punish them."

"Why would you say that? I don't think it's like that at all."

"Oh it is, Laurwen. I've seen it happen at dinner several times. The king suggests punishing them, but then you get all teary eyed and throw your arms around his neck and he has no more power over you then you do over them."

Her words shocked me. Was this truly the case? If it were, I scarcely knew how to feel about it. But if it was true, than hopefully with just enough luck and determination, I would be able to get them out of trouble fairly soon.

…

When I went to dinner that evening I was surprised that the children were not there at all. When I turned to ask the King where the children were, I saw Legolas gulp out of the corner of my eye and Carfon look away casually. They apparently already knew how unpleasant things were about to be in here.

"They are being punished, Laurwen. When their punishment is over they are to go straight to bed without their supper."

"Without their…? You mean to tell me that you're going to let our children go hungry?"

"It's one night, my Queen. They will be fine."

"They're but two years old!" At this point more people than just Legolas and Carfon had turned to look at us. The girl I had been a few years ago would have ignored them and argued with Thranduil even more loudly. The wife, queen, and mother that I was now told me to be patient and save this argument for later. So save it I would. Leaning back into my chair, I sipped my wine and sulked like a grown up.

…..

Thranduil came to bed especially late that night, hoping, I think, that I would already be asleep when he arrived. Whatever his wishes were, I was wide awake when he came into our room, and I jumped out of bed, my bare feet cold on the floor and my long hair falling down my back already lose for bed.

He sighed, ready for the fight. But at this point I had cooled down, and thought over what Delia had said.

I would try a different strategy.

To his surprise, I went about as if nothing were wrong. I took his rings off of his fingers one by one, I helped him out of his robe, and I combed out his long silver hair for him, watching as I did his eyes close in pleasure.

When we went to bed I put my arms around him and laid my head on his bare chest.

"I love you, Thranduil."

Surprised, he opened his eyes and looked down at me. "I love you too, Laurwen."

"I fear I haven't said it much, in these last two years." I spoke softly, tracing a finger up and down the planes of his chest.

"No, I suppose you have not. Neither have I, come to think of it."

"The children have taken up so much time, we have hardly had time to even speak to one another."

He ran his hands through my hair, thinking. "That is also true. It has been a busy two years. And yet they have flown by very quickly, I think."

"I think so as well." I said, nuzzling my face into his warm neck. I felt him shudder as I let out a breath. "But I do love you. I wanted to say it. And do you know what?"

"What?" He said, his voice little more than a choked, breathy sound. I could tell at this point he was struggling to concentrate.

"It has been even longer since we…well…"

"Yes." He said, practically gasping. "Yes it has."

I never understood why he was always so reluctant to touch me in the way a husband and his wife should. I never knew if it was because I was a human or if it had something to do with him being an elf or the fact that he was much older than myself, but whatever the reason he seldom made love to me. And after the children were born we were both exhausted, and also we both were wary, knowing that if we did we could have more children, which neither of us really wanted.

And yet, at this moment, his heart was beating nearly as loud as mine was.

"If you wish, we could take this time, right now…"

He didn't even wait for me to finish speaking. He lifted my nightgown over my head and I buried my hands in his long hair as he lowered himself onto me. My legs found their way around his waist and we had our way with one another quickly and passionately.

When we were finished and back where we started with me laying my head on his chest, I knew that I could ask him for anything in the world, for the earth under our feet or the stars above our heads, and he would grant it to me. But in that moment, I loved him so much, I wanted him to be honest with me, as I would be with him.

"Thranduil?"

"Mmm?"

"Do you hold off on disciplining the triplets, because of me?"

I watched as he opened an eye and peered down at me. "Of course."

"Really?" I had never felt so tender towards him and at the same time so guilty.

He yawned and threw an arm over me, drawing me closer. "I may be the King, Laurwen, and I may be hundreds of years old, but I've never encountered a weapon that's made me as powerless as your golden eyes shimmering with tears and begging me to forgive our sons for the hundredth time."

Speaking of shimmering eyes, I felt them tearing up a little bit at the moment. I saw one leak out and fall onto his chest.

"I'm sorry." I said.

"Don't be. You love the boys. So do I. But I want them to be good men some day, and they need to start taking responsibility."

"Thranduil?" I asked after a moment.

"Yes?"

"Where are the boys?"

"Standing in the throne room with the other guards."

"I see."

"Speaking of the boys, Legolas wants to take them out tomorrow and show them how to shoot their first bow and arrow. How does that sound?"

"Wonderful." I said. "They should be with their brother."

He kissed my head and I waited as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

….

As soon as I was sure he was no longer awake, I got out of bed and snuck out of our room, a robe wrapped over me quickly. I went to the kitchens to get some food and then quietly made my way over to the throne room.

They were indeed there as he had said they would be.

They were wearing little armor and had little tiny spears, each of them. I understood the manner of his punishment. He was making them stand guard like the others were doing, a long and tiresome job, but quite painless.

They smiled when they saw me coming.

"Mother!" Klirion shouted, his voice echoing in the halls. Oriphar joined him in smiling, a sweet gap toothed little thing, while Wrane struggled to stand, he was so tired.

"My sweet boys." I said, giving them each a hug. The other guards might have been watching, but none of them made a move to stop me, so I continued to deposit the food into their chubby little hands and mouths.

"Mother, may we go to bed now?" Oriphar whispered, wiping his now sticky face.

"How long did your father say you had to stand?"

"Until midnight."

I hesitated. I could take them to bed now, and Thranduil would not be able to stop me.

But he was right. I loved the boys, and if I truly loved them I would make sure they did not grow up to be spoiled.

"I'm sorry, children. Your father said midnight. Until then you must stand here in punishment."

I thought they might cry or throw a tantrum as they were want to do, but they surprised me by nodding their little heads and standing up straighter.

I thought how proud I was of them as I made my way back to our room.

….

That night, a little after midnight, I felt three warm bodies crawl into our bed.

Thranduil opened his eyes after I did, and looked over our three sleeping boys and over to me.

"I love you." I told him for the third time that night.

He smiled. "And I you. Now go to sleep."


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit, this story is not for profit, everything belongs to Tolkien. **

**Author's Note: I would like to thank everybody who followed/favorited/reviewed this story last chapter. I'm sorry for the delay! Your support means so much!**

**Chapter 20**

I hated to admit that Thranduil was right, but disciplining the boys was a fantastic idea. With the right balance of love and firmness they grew to be quite acceptable little princes. The children grew very close to their older brother Legolas, who they went out with almost every day to shoot their arrows or climb or just generally go on adventures.

And Legolas usually went where Tauriel went; he followed her like her very own shadow.

They grew up very quickly. One moment they were little toddlers learning to walk on their chubby little legs, and then it seemed like I woke up one day and they were little boys, eight years old, strong and clever with minds of their own.

Those were good years.

I visited Laketown once or twice, but other than that I did not leave Mirkwood. I longed to know how things were in the south, whether my cousin Baldrick was still the ruler of Lebennin or whether my brother Fiske was still alive, but news of Gondor did not reach us. The people of Mirkwood didn't care much for the goings on in the realm of men, and I didn't want to upset Thranduil by asking. I learned to be content at home with my husband and my children and my friends.

Our arguments during that time were scarce, and when they happened they were usually about our children, but I remember one argument we had one night that wasn't about the children.

It was midsummer, and we sat around feasting and laughing. I was saying something to Esteldes, who was sitting on the other side of me when I noticed that she seemed a little distracted. I followed her eyes across the table and saw that Rumon was staring back at her.

The look in their eyes said it all.

Later that evening, Thranduil was writing something on his desk and I was strumming a harp in our chambers when I said, "It looks like we will be having a wedding in Mirkwood soon."

"Hmm?" He murmured from his desk.

"Rumon and Esteldes. I think it will not be long now before they are married."

At that he put his quill down and turned to me. "Rumon and Esteldes? Married? Why would you say that?"

"Honestly, my king, have you not seen the way they look at each other?"

"No." He was silent for a moment, as if searching his memory for any recollection of the two of them. After a minute he shook his head as if it wasn't worth it. "It just seems to me that Esteldes is too flighty for Rumon. He's a quiet lad. Stern, and serious."

Thranduil spoke the truth. I remember I had thought the same thing years ago when I had first seen the two of them interact together, but I had known even then that Rumon cared for Esteldes deeply. It was she who had seemed to not really notice his affection. That seemed to have changed. I had no idea what had passed between the two of them, but it was plain that he had somehow won her affections.

"So what do you say? Will you give them your blessing?"

He had gone back to his work. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Esteldes is part of your family, and Rumon is not exactly a nobleman."

"That hardly matters. I know from personal experience now that when matters of passion are involved these things will happen anyway, no matter how unsuitable someone's choice may be."

I frowned. _Unsuitable? _

I decided to be the bigger person and ignore his comment. "It's nice to hear you say that, because we might be having a double wedding."

"_Now_ what are you talking about?"

"Well, Legolas and Tauriel, of course."

"You're joking."

"Honestly darling, sometimes I think you are completely blind. Have you not seen the way that Legolas looks at the girl? How he follows her around? It really could only be a matter of time…"

"It won't be a 'matter of time', as you say, because I won't allow it."

Till this moment I had abandoned my harp for the moment and had begun mending one of the boys shirts(Klirion's in fact), but his words stopped me. "Whatever do you mean you won't allow it?"

Sitting at his table, he raised an eyebrow at me. We stared at each other for a moment, but then he sighed and dipped his quill back into the ink. "Please not tonight, Laurwen. I really don't feel like arguing with you another evening."

Completely dumbstruck, I stood up feeling as if I were a ghost. He had never dismissed me this way before. I was his wife for goodness's sake, and the queen! For once I felt no anger, just very sad. A dead sort of calm came over me.

"Of course, my King."

Smoothing down my dress I started towards the door. I had just started to turn the handle when he called my name. The change in my demeanor must have frightened him.

"Yes?" I answered, not looking at him.

"Please don't be upset. I don't mean that I…"

My voice was quiet when I spoke, interrupting him. "Please Thranduil, just let me leave. I really can't speak to you right now."

I didn't hear him say anything so I took that as assent to go.

….

In the halls I ran into the boys. They were bigger now but they still smiled and jumped to see me.

"Mother, you must come and see what we have done with the pile of mud down by the river! We've positively made a castle out of mud!" Wrane said.

Klirion agreed with his brother and Oriphar grinned. Oriphar was very much a follower of his other brothers. He was the quiet one who reminded me the most of Thranduil.

I was sure from the way that they were caked in wet soil from head to toe that they were telling the truth. Esteldes had a horrified look on her face as she fussed around them trying to wipe off their faces with a wet cloth.

"I can't come right now; mother has some other things to take care of. Perhaps later." I said. I patted them each on the head with an enthusiasm that I did not feel and made my way down the halls.

In truth I really had nothing else to do, but I was feeling very upset, and whenever I was sad or angry I tried not to be around my sons. I didn't want them to see that side of myself. I wanted them to always feel safe and trust me. I was afraid that seeing their mother unhappy at their age would not be good for them. They were still children; they were too young to have burdens on their young souls.

Strolling around I found myself going down the halls and into a room that I had not been into since Coruven had been here.

On the wall where I remembered it, Thranduil's first wife stared down at me from her portrait. I stared back at her. For how long I did, not know.

….

That evening I stared at the sky on our balcony, not really feeling like returning to bed where Thranduil would be waiting.

I had thought I would be safe out here, but to my dismay he came out after a while to stand beside me.

Fortunately he made no move to touch me or speak to me. He just stood next to me quietly, both his hands gently grasping the rails, saying nothing.

I only spoke after a while, when I realized that I would either have to stand out here all night or talk to him and get this over with.

"I just don't understand…why you don't want Tauriel and Legolas to be married."

His mouth opened and closed several times before he answered finally. "I just don't think the two are right for each other. I don't think they are…a good match."

I nodded; and turned my head away before he could see the face I made and the tears that were streaming silently down my face.

When he pulled my face up to look at his own I saw that his had a horrified expression. "Laurwen…please…I don't understand…"

"Whenever you…ahh…I'm sorry." My words were difficult for even me to understand with the way my nose was stuffed and my throat felt choked up. "I just…whenever you…you say that Tauriel isn't right for Legolas, I know that you are thinking of your own marriage. Of the two of us. That you are saying that we are not right for each other. And that hurts me, Thranduil. Even if it is right. It hurts me so much that I can't bear it."

He said nothing.

I cried harder at that; I already knew that he regretted marrying me, but I had still hoped he would at least try to deny it. Since he didn't, I went on.

"When you say Legolas and Tauriel aren't right for each other…two people so close in age…both elves…best friends who grew up together…I know that you must think we are all wrong for each other, as different as we are. And I know that you regret it. Before we were married there was a fire between us. I thought you would ignore it as I tried to do, but you didn't…you married me and I was so happy. But afterwards you became cold towards me. You hardly ever touched me…you were a little hesitant about the birth of our children. You never tell me you love me…and…you don't look at me like you used to. Indeed you try not to look at me at all. Go on, try to deny it."

"I won't deny it."

I sobbed at his words, trying to wipe the tears from my face. Stepping closer he pulled me into his chest, where I cried onto his bare chest under his robe.

"Laurwen," he said stroking my head, " my love. I do love you. You know I do. You have to understand….it's guilt. I feel so guilty. It's true we aren't right for each other, but I married you anyway. I knew that I should try to help you find your way back to your family, or somewhere else…but I loved you so much. And when I saw how you loved me also I was too delighted to let you go. But afterwards…"

There was a long pause before he went on. I didn't look up so I couldn't tell what his face was like.

"Afterwards every time I looked at you…I felt horrible. Like I had wronged you. You don't think I don't lie awake sometimes at night, practically feverish with my desire to kiss you or touch you or tell you how much I care for you?"

Amazed, I looked up at him. I hardly dared believe what I was hearing. "Thranduil…I'm a grown woman. You surely know that you didn't wrong me…I wanted to stay in Mirkwood. I wanted to be with you."

"You were younger then. You may not have known what was right…"

"I had lived through a lot. I knew my own heart. As I know it now."

Leaning down, he kissed me. And afterwards he met my eyes with seriousness.

"I love you Laurwen. More than that, I adore you and respect you. Don't ever forget it."

Holding me, he stared down at me with eyes that said more than words ever could.

…..

Later on, a few months later, he held my hand, even though we were in public, as we stood by at Esteldes's and Rumon's wedding.

Esteldes was positively glowing in a wedding gown that Delia and I had stitched for her for months. At her side, Rumon was impassive as ever. But when Ellis, who was officiating the ceremony, told him that he could kiss his new wife, I saw him crack a smile for the first time.

Soon everyone was cheering and throwing flowers at them, including my sons who looked dashing in their new outfits.

Sighing as we all watched the new couple make their way to the dining hall for the first time ever, I leaned my head against Thranduil's shoulder.

"I hope they will be happy." I whispered. "As you said, they are both so different, after all."

He put his arm around me. "They will be just fine."


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hobbit, this story is not for profit, everything belongs to Tolkien.**

**A/N: Sorry about the long wait between updates!**

**Jayjay0815: Yeah that was a close one haha. Thank you! And do you mean a sequel or a new Hobbit story? Or something else? **

**PadawanLilia: Thank ya kindly!**

**tyrion son of tywin: Thank you so much for your kind words! I hope you keep reading the story! Awesome user name, by the way.**

**Chapter 21**

One evening Thranduil sat in his study, trying to squeeze in some time for himself in-between time with the triplets and matters of state. Relaxing into an easy posture, he crossed his legs and poured himself a glass of wine from the pitcher on the table beside him. The King of Mirkwood had barely taken two sips of his drink when there was a knock at the door.

"What is it?" He growled.

Whoever was at the door hesitated a moment, obviously not sure if they should go on. It appeared that procedure won out over fear, for there was then a small male voice that squeaked, "Letters, my lord!"

Thranduil sighed. Putting his glass down he went over to open the door and quickly grab the letters from the terrified page standing outside before then slamming the heavy oak door in his face.

The glass of wine by the fire must wait. Reading and answering letters was one of his most important duties as King; it was vital in order to maintain diplomacy and peace. Although Laurwen liked to tease him by saying that he was the least diplomatic king she had ever known, and maybe to some extent she was right, he had managed to keep his realm and his people out of trouble for a very long time.

And also, he still hoped every time any messages were delivered that there would be something in there from Coruven. It had been years since he had heard from his youngest son; the last time a letter had come from somewhere south, saying that he was fine, and then after that nothing. Thranduil was sure the boy was fine, the lad was an excellent archer and, after all, what was a few years in the life of an elf? But he missed the lad all the same. He shuffled through the letters hurriedly, scanning to see if there was anything from Coruven, but he stopped when he came across a letter that was, wonder of wonders, addressed not to him, but to Laurwen.

It was from her brother. Again.

_Would the man not give it up? _He couldn't help but think angrily. Laurwen was married now, married to him, and queen of Mirkwood. There was no sense in him trying to keep on reaching her like this.

But even as he thought it in his heart, Thranduil knew that was not true. But truly he had no choice. Unlike the last time, Thranduil did not even bother to open this letter. He simply walked straight over to the fire and threw the unread letter into the flames.

…

Esteldes and Rumon had recently moved into a new suite for just the two of them, and I had spent the whole day while Rumon was away with Esteldes helping her decorate and tidy the place up. We had managed to do the decorating part quite well, but as for the tidying up I was afraid we made the place messier than it was when we started. I had left her home in the evening breathless with laughter as the two of us imagined Rumon's normally stoic face when he suddenly came home to the disaster that was his new home.

My face still red and breathless, I made my way into my chambers. I was taking my gloves off when I noticed that Thranduil was already here.

"Oh, hello." I said surprised, and a little embarrassed at how red my face was and how disheveled my hair was. "How was your day?"

"Very nice," he said quietly.

As he came towards me and took my hand, pressing a kiss to my palm, I smiled up at him. Things had been very good between us lately; better then ever. Putting my hand on his neck, I started to pull him down to kiss me on the lips, but he stopped me before I could.

Putting his hand on my chin, he stared at me in way that was very disconcerting. I felt like he was trying very hard to tell me something with his eyes, or, perhaps, trying very hard to not tell me something.

I was sure he must have seen my brows furrow in confusion, for he stopped me before I could finish asking him if something was wrong to kiss me again.

Both of his hands were on my face as he kissed me long and deeply. At first I could hear my heart fluttering, and then, when I paused to take a breath and then gently bite his lower lip, I could hear his fluttering as well.

"What was that for?" I blinked.

"Nothing."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Nothing?"

"I just love you, is all."

"As I love you."

"Always?" He asked, a sudden pleading note in voice made me take a moment before answering. I stared into his deep blue eyes, but could find nothing there.

"I will always love you." I said.

"Good."

"Thranduil, may I ask you about something?" He had put his arm around me and was now walking us toward the balcony. Outside there were birds singing and a light wind blowing.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering…if you would tell me a little…"

He laughed at my anxiousness, not realizing the sobering subject which I longed to bring up. "Go on Laurwen, I've been married to you long enough to not be shocked anymore at the things that come out of your mouth."

I didn't look at him. "I want to ask you about your wife. Your first one, that is."

He paused. "You've never asked about her before. I always assumed you didn't care, or weren't curious."

"Oh, no," I whispered. "I care very much. I was always afraid to ask."

Finally, I met his gaze. He smiled somewhat grimly, and there were lines around his eyes. "I'm still afraid to ask, to be quite honest."

"Well," he said, taking my hands, and then, to my surprise, pulling me down onto his lap in one of the chairs, "you needn't have been. I would have told you."

"You would? Well, even so, I feared you would not wish to speak of it…"

"It's true. I don't like speaking of it. Or at least, I didn't. But I will tell you of her now." He paused and took a deep breath. I understood that he was gathering his thoughts, about to embark on the difficult task of retelling a personal tragedy that still hurts years after the fact.

"She was beautiful. I never knew her as a child; we met when I was a ellon and she a young elleth. She was also Silvan, her hair and eyes similar to mine and Legolas and Coruven's. We were married for a long time, and she gave me two beautiful sons, for which I will forever be indebted to her."

"Are they much like her?"

"Yes, I think. Perhaps in different ways. Legolas has her skill and her sense of adventure. Coruven…her sensitivity perhaps. She felt things very deeply, but kept them bottled up inside. She was quite solemn. And very clever."

For a while after that we were silent, as he held me tight in his arms, but my unspoken question was burning like fire between us.

"No," he whispered. "I didn't love her. I had no idea you were curious about her. If you had asked me, perhaps I could have told you all of this and saved you some sleepless nights. Alas, I can only unburden you now Laurwen."

"Why didn't you love her?" At this point I had no idea whether to laugh or to cry.

"I don't know. Who can ever know why we love some and not others? She seemed perfect for me, and I for her. She was of noble birth, we were of a similar age, we married once and believed ourselves to be in love. We got along well for a while, but there was no passionate love between us. Elves marry once, Laurwen. Only once. We make the right decision the first time. For years and years I would not admit to myself that my wife and I were not right for each other. How could I make this kind of mistake?"

I spoke quietly, afraid of what must come next. "What happened to her?"

He sighed, and I saw that several years was not enough to heal him of the grief and regret that he felt from this still. "I didn't understand her. She wanted to travel, to visit, to fight. I couldn't understand any of that. You know how I am, Laurwen. Who could want to get involved in the affairs outside of Mirkwood? I was quite content at home. She grew quiet, we began to scarcely speak to each other. And she…she looked at me sometimes like I was…like she despised me. No, worse than that. That I had somehow disappointed her in some way. One day she finally left in secret, without my consent. She left to go fight and she didn't come back to Mirkwood alive."

We had nothing to say to each other for a while after that. I finally realized that I must be the one to speak first. "I'm sorry Thranduil."

He squeezed my hand, but did not say anything, still lost in thought. I went on, "You feel guilty, don't you? That's why you never spoke of her?"

"I suppose so. It's partially my fault that she's dead, Laurwen."

Many would probably have protested to make him feel better, and perhaps I should have, but I did not. It _was_ partially his fault, even though I did not think he should feel guilty about it.

"But one good thing came out of the tragedy," he said, "The next time I met a girl who I knew could be my queen, I followed my heart, and not my brain, and I've been quite happy with the decision thus far."

…

To my delight, we made the trip to Rivendell now that the boys were finally old enough to behave. Many from Mirkwood made the trip with us, including Esteldes and Rumon who regarded it as a honeymoon of sorts.

One never forgets one's first sight of Rivendell. It was positively the most beautiful place that I had ever seen. Thranduil scowled when he saw how impressed I was by it.

Elrond and his company were waiting outside for us when we arrived. He took my hands and we greeted each other like old friends, while Thranduil and he exchanged polite bows.

Elrond's twin sons were there to greet us as well, and Thranduil hastily said, "Allow me to introduce you, Lord Elrond, to my _triplets, _Wrane, Klirion, and Oriphar."

I rolled my eyes at his shameless display of bravado, but Elrond simply laughed and shook hands with them each.

"Fine young boys, the both of them. With such parents as these, who knows what they may accomplish?"

….

We stayed in Rivendell for three months. While we were there I met Elrond's daughter Arwen. She was a beautiful girl, although I did really not care for her much.

Elrond provided all sorts of entertainments for us all on our trip. He had grand feasts held and shows and performances from the best of his people. One night, after we had just listened to some beautiful singing, Thranduil, to my horror, leaned back in his chair, and holding his wineglass said, "You have very fine entertainers, Elrond. But I think Mirkwood must be said to best you when it comes to music."

Elrond raised an eyebrow, as did many others, no doubt. "I have never heard, Lord Thranduil, that Mirkwood had any music other than the screams of wanderers who are lost in its forests at night."

Thranduil, to his credit, did not even get a little red. Indeed, he seemed rather smug. "Oh yes, Elrond. Have you not heard? My queen is the most talented of all musicians, elf or human."

I pinched him hard under the table, but he took my hand and squeezed it. Of course after that they would not let me leave the table until I agreed to play. By no means was I as good as their own musicians, but I played decently and I saw genuine pleasure on their faces when I was finished.

Later that evening as Thranduil and I climbed into bed I reprimanded him for saying that I played better than any of them. "It's a good thing I didn't mess up or I would have looked very foolish indeed. I can't believe you told them that I was better."

For a moment he looked very confused. "But you are better."

I embraced him for that, so happy was I that I was loved by someone who sometimes couldn't see fault in me.


End file.
